April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
CHRIST THE KING
School successfully transitioned to early childhood center
Parish leaders still wanted to serve families in the community with child care and early childhood development needs after the kindergarten- through eighth-grade facility succumbed to low enrollment.
So Christ the King Early Childhood Center was opened, with programs for toddlers, three-year-olds and four-year-olds, as well as after-school care and summer enrichment programs for children between the ages of five and 12.
Some of the children who were in the school's pre-kindergarten program have continued with care at the center. Six staff members from the school - teaching assistants, pre-kindergarten teachers and a gym teacher - also stayed on.
"There's a nice camaraderie," said Stacie Boelkins, director of the center, which entered its fifth year of operation this week.
She said Christ the King Early Childhood Center means a lot to the parish community: "I certainly get the sense that the school is missed. They are pleased with the growth and the number of families we're able to serve."
When Mrs. Boelkins started four years ago, the center had three programs that served about 40 children; now there are 10 programs and about 145 kids. There's a "booming waitlist" for the after-school program, she said; it provides a structured environment from 2:15 until 5:30 on school days and a place to go on half-days and most school breaks.
All programs are competitively-priced - for instance, a week of after-school care for older children is $74, and a 12-month, daily pre-kindergarten program is $10,686 - with the goal of helping the community. The center also gives families parenting advices and makes referrals to social service agencies.
"We don't operate to generate income," Mrs. Boelkins said. "We operate to serve families. Our goal is to educate and care for the children and to promote a relationship with Christ."
All programs, which accept children of any faith tradition, incorporate weekly faith lessons into the curriculum. Depending on classroom dynamics, the children attend Mass at Christ the King parish about four times a year.
"Having 10 to 12 toddlers sit still in the service can be a challenge," Mrs. Boelkins explained. "It's nice because, for some of the kids, it's their first experience [with religion]."
There are two center-wide service projects every year, as well as individual classroom projects that take a cue from the kids' interests. Previous projects have included food collections for Thanksgiving dinner, pet food drives and fundraisers. For the latter, young children ask their parents for coins in exchange for doing household chores; their earnings benefit children in developing countries and disease charities.
"It's a way for us to include families in what we're doing and a way to build community," Mrs. Boelkins said.
The center never uses the word "daycare," because "all of our programs have a strong educational basis," she added. Christ the King Early Childhood is licensed through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, which enforces different rules than the state Education Department.[[In-content Ad]]
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