Children's Center

The Children's Center is located between the Multisport Center and the Eric Carl Museum. It can be reached by phone at x5706 or by email at hccc@hampshire.edu. During the academic year it is open Monday-Friday 8:15 A.M.-4:45 P.M. and Monday-Friday 8:15 A.M.-3:45 P.M. in the summer. The Children's Center is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, and provides childcare and early childhood education for Five College staff, faculty, students, and community families. The center enrolls children ages two months to five years in three groups-infants, toddlers, and preschoolers-with a total enrollment of about 40 children. Priority in enrollment is given to Hampshire-affiliated staff, students, and faculty, who constitute about 50 percent of the families at the center. Second priority is given to Five College-affiliated families and Hampshire alums, and then to community families. In all priority categories, minority children are enrolled first. Thestaff consists of one full-time director, seven professional reachers trained in early childhood education, and 20 work-study students/volunteers who work 8-12 hours a week as assistant teachers. The program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, with a focus on emergent curriculum, creativity and self-expression, problem solving and social interaction, documentation of learning and teaching, parent involvement, and an anti-bias, multicultural framework. All parents pay tuition. Income-eligible vouchers funded by the state are availabel, as are subsidies through two state-funded grants.

In addition to providing childcare and early education for children and their families, the center is a site for student and faculty observation and research in the fields of child study, education, children's theater, nutritional anthropology, and design. Teaching internships and practice can also be arranged during the semester or during January term. Volunteer opportunities and community service projects are also possible in carious disciplines, including music (visiting instrumentalist program); technology (technological assistance to the staff); designing and constructing equipment for the children (through the Lemelson program), and in other disciplines. The director is available to help students who want to become certified teachers through the Massachusetts DEEC.