Send Your Baby To the Hook In 2010

Choosing quality child care for a youngster is a difficult decision, especially if you want a young person to grow up to appreciate nature and the outdoors. A really good place should be one that is small and warm, where a child will not get lost or become just a number.

Let's face it, the first five years of a child's life are critical for her or his well-being. During these formative years, young children must be loved and nurtured, both in their social and physical environments. If these needs are met, children will grow up eager to explore and learn the natural environment.

One of the best places in the Sandy Hook Bay watershed region that has continually offered quality daycare to families has been close at hand. The Sandy Hook Child Care Center is located in historic Fort Hancock on beautiful Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. They have been around since November 1980. Founded as a nonprofit day care center by parents working at the Marine Laboratory on Sandy Hook, the child care center at Sandy Hook continues to be run by parents where the main focus is caring for the children and not the bottom line.  It provides affordable, quality childcare for families who live and work on and off the park. With a maximum of only 15 children on any given day, the center provides a cozy setting that allows for a safe, stimulating atmosphere where children can flourish.

Now is the best time to find out if the center is the right place for your child. In 2010, the Sandy Hook Child Care Center will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary.

To help  observe the anniversary, on Monday, February 8 from 4-6pm and Saturday, February 13 from 10am-noon, the Sandy Hook Child Care Center will host an open house, featuring crafts, story time featuring “Be My Valentine Charlie Brown”, and more. There will also be a fundraiser with tasty treats and jewelry made with love by our parents and teachers. Join the good people at the center for a sweet day with Sandy Hook’s sweeties.

According to June Neal, Executive Director of the Sandy Hook Child Care Center, "Our teachers and parents care for an amazing bunch of toddlers and preschoolers, leading them on the adventure of a lifetime.  Our location on Sandy Hook affords us a natural, simple way to learn about the world around us.  A walk in the park or a stroll on the beach helps the children understand the value of our environment by merely experiencing everything around them."

They understand that the environment plays a vital role in the young lives of children. From their commute to school with their parents catching expansive views of the bay, to daily walks in the park discovering osprey in flight and horseshoe crabs on the beach, children enjoy firsthand the experiences with nature that will inspire them through life. By instilling a love and respect for nature from a young age, the parents and teachers hope to raise happy, healthy and caring children who recognize the importance of experiencing the outdoors and crave its wonders and activities. They even have an organic lunch plan and children’s garden!!

The Sandy Hook Child Care Center's lessons and art projects also strive to meet the needs of each and every child.  Teachers use weekly thematic lesson plans incorporating the different stages of your child's development. These areas include gross-motor, fine-motor, language, and art. Science and math activities include counting, memory, sand and water play. All activities are adjusted to each child's developmental ability. The different themes allow the center the freedom to incorporate a wide variety of ideas and topics, time for exploration, and the flexibility needed when dealing with young children.

So this February, why not have your child grow naturally and blossom at the Sandy Hook Child Care Center. Hours are 8am - 7pm, Monday – Friday. Diversity of ages: 6 weeks to 6 years. Let you child experience one of the most beautiful and rich environments in Monmouth County at Sandy Hook.

For more information, please check out their website at http://www.sandyhookchildcare.org/