Child Development
"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much." - Marian Wright Edelman
The YWCA Child Development Program serves low-income families in which parents work or attend school. This free program benefits both children and parents by providing safe, developmentally-oriented child care and parenting education for teenage mothers.
Child Development services are offered in five locations. Programming consists of the following main components:
Infant and Toddler Program
This program is designed to serve teen mothers who currently attend school at San Fernando High or continuation high school. The program is structured to encourage interaction in infants, ages six weeks to two years old. Additionally, interaction and bonding classes are given to teen parents offering them valuable parenting tools. While teens learn basic knowledge about infants, infants learn developmental skills, which foster healthy growth. Classroom training is adopted through West Ed and PITC as mandated by the California Department of Education.
Preschool Program
Designed for children ages two to five years old, the focus of the program is to prepare children for grade school, educationally, emotionally, and physically. The program has adopted the High Scope Curriculum, which focuses on children's needs while allowing staff to build on children's initiative. Highly trained teachers assess children with special needs using the Brigance Screening tool. Teachers engage in the Environmental Rating System to help create a rich environment that involves parents, children, and staff at each site.
