Meeting Date: Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
Meeting Date: Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
Dinner: Nancy Rumph
Dinner: Nancy Rumph
Agenda
Agenda
Reports
Financials
Reports
Financials
Celebrating 30+ Years!
396 Halls Hill Rd
Colchester, CT 06415
(860) 537 - 0214
Parent Portal
What sets CASTLE apart?
Nationally Accredited Program
CASTLE is proud to have achieved national accreditation and recognition by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
NAEYC Accreditation helps teachers and other staff at early learning programs develop a shared understanding and commitment to quality. The accreditation process leads to increased staff morale, greater staff retention, and a more positive, energetic work atmosphere overall - enabling centers to provide a solid foundation for all children's success in life.
NAEYC Accreditation helps families recognize quality early learning programs and feel comfortable knowing their children are receiving a high-quality, research-based education that will prepare them for future success. NAEYC Accreditation offers programs access to continuous quality-improvement, the latest research on best practices, training, technical assistance, visibility on family-focused search engines, and much more.
For more information about accreditation, please visit www.naeyc.org
Commitment to a Professional & Exceptional Learning Experience
CASTLE is committed to staying current on best practices in early childhood. Our staff far exceed professional development hours required by the State of CT, and attend professional learning conferences to ensure we are up-to-date on best practices in the field. These trainings and learning opportunities are used to create a unique, develpmentally appropriate, standards-guided curriculum that is developed as the year goes on with our current children in mind.
CASTLE also invites several outside learning programs and agencies to host a variety of staff development training sessions throughout the year, including the Early Childhood Consultation Partnership (ECCP), Collaborative for Colchester's Children (C3), and the Afterschool Network.
Low Child-to-Staff/Teacher Ratios
Child care ratio in the State of CT is 1 teacher to 10 children for preschool classrooms, and 1 staff to 16 children for school-age. CASTLE goes above and beyond these state-mandated ratios by structuring our preschool classrooms to have 2-3 teachers with 16 children maximum, and keeping to a 1-to-10 ratio in school-age with at least 2 staff at all times, plus additional staff as needed.
These lower ratios allow for more focused, engaging and meaningful supervision & interactions between staff and child.
Convenient Location
CASTLE is located directly across the street from Colchester Elementary School, and only a short walk from Jack Jackter Intermediate School and William J. Johnston Middle School. Our close proximity allows CASTLE staff to provide pick-ups from after school activities for CES and JJIS, as well as walking trips to the school playgrounds and local businesses & parks for added fun!
High Importance on Security
The safety and wellness of the children and families who attend our program is the most important aspect of running a child care center. That is why CASTLE has gone above and beyond in fully securing our entire facility- inside and out.
CASTLE has installed over 20 security cameras throughout our building and outdoor spaces in order to effectively monitor and capture all entrances, outdoor play areas and high-traffic rooms within our center. These cameras are displayed in real-time within our business office at all times, with footage available on a private, secure server for review.
Every family enrolled at CASTLE is assigned a personal passcode for entrance into our center, allowing our staff full control over who has access to enter our building. All other visitors, vendors and community members must be granted access by our office staff before entering the building.
CASTLE also features a fully fenced-in outdoor play area with locked gates to limit access inside and outside of these areas. In 2023, CASTLE upgraded all fencing spanning the perimeter of our outdoor play area to higher 7ft tall fencing, greater increasing outdoor security.
Dedication to Health & Safety
All CASTLE staff are routinely trained and certified in first aid, CPR, AED use and medication administration in complience with the CT Office of Early Childhood regulations, and have access to an AED on site (generously donated by the Compress & Shock Foundation).
CASTLE provides healthy snack options daily throughout the year, along with either 100% fruit juice or milk to choose from.
Enriching In-House Programs Included in Tuition
Enrichment and entertainment programs are offered during our school-age summer camp and preschool programs to enhance curriculum.
Past programs include STEM, astronomy, and art enrichment from the CT Children's Museum, Mad Science & the Lutz Museum, Dinosaurs/Oceans Rock, Riverside Reptiles, Nature Nate and Innovation Expedition, as well as performances from Central K-9, Li Liu the Chinese Acrobat, Jason the Juggler, Alex the Jester and interactive on-site activities from Big Daddy's Racing.
School-age summer camp children can also participate in free, weekly on-site martial arts classes hosted by 360 Defense.
Professionally Cleaned Facility
Each day while in operation, our CASTLE staff thoroughly clean and sanitize the facility with high quality, hospital-grade cleaners and disinfectants, and a team of professionals are utilized each night to ensure every child and staff member at CASTLE has a hygienic & safe environment to explore, create and learn!
Opportunities for Family Involvement
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, CASTLE is run by a Board of Directors consisting of parents and CASTLE Administrators who help with fundraising and event planning, ensuring financial stability and enhancing our programming to provide the highest quality care possible.
Throughout the year, CASTLE hosts various family & community events to encourage family involvement & boost our fundraising efforts. These events include our annual Trivia Night & Silent Auction, Holiday Winter Wonderland, and several Parent's Night Out opportunities, and well as routine partnerships with local businesses in Colchester and the surrounding area, such as Mel's Downtown Creamery, Colchester Pizza, Munson's Chocolates and Colchester Stop & Shop.
Community Collaboration
CASTLE connects with many local community businesses, agencies and artists to interact with and boost our programming. In the past, we've invited members of Cragin Library to share new and interesting games and activities, started our own garden with members of the Colchester Garden Club while visiting the Giving Garden to help harvest produce to be donated to local soup kitchens and food banks, and collaborated with local artist Julianna Cameron on several artistic projects!