Summer 2014

CIRCLE TIMENews from The Children’s Center

The Children’s Center’s annual budget is just under $1.7 million.

Our income comes from 3 sources:

More than $1.1 million comes from tuition paid by the families we serve.

$225,000 comes from state and federal government assistance through the South Carolina DSS/ABC program and USDA food cost reimbursements.

$350,000 dollars a year is funded through grants and donations from people like you and me.

At least 91 cents of every dollar given to The Children’s Center is used for direct services to

the children. Less than 9 cents covers administrative expenses.

The Children’s Center has been serving families in southern Beaufort County since 1967, and we remain committed to helping our children get a great start in life.

Please help us sustain this service to working parents in our community by your continued generosity and by sharing The Children’s Center’s story with your friends and neighbors.

Did you know?

Hilton Head Island 8 Nature’s Way

Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 843.681.2739

www.thechildrenscentersc.org

Jennifer Cajigas Executive Director

Board of Trustees

Ward Kirby Chairman

Kaye Black

Irv Campbell

Tom Conner

Jennifer Green

Angie Greenfield

John Howe

Carol Kavanaugh

Robert Lembo

Jay Parks

Carol Prillaman

Anne Kelley Russell

Edwina Sanders

Andrea Siebold

Carlos Tovar

Ray Warco

From The Executive Director’s Desk…What makes The Children’s Center different from an ordinary day care center?

Primarily, it is our Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers and Twos and Preschool.

The Creative Curriculum is designed for infants through Pre-K. Children actively participate and manipulate their environment while learning about science, math and nature. It uses innovative teaching methods to provide interactive multi-sensory learning experiences in a loving, nurturing environment.

The effectiveness of The Creative Curriculum in the classroom has been proven by independent researchers. With the use of the Creative Curriculum, teachers help the children become enthusiastic, engaged and successful learners. It is widely used in public and private preschool and child care programs, as well as Head Start.

There are four key factors that are used as the foundation of The Creative Curriculum.

• The first is a focus on room arrangement and the use of interest areas as a setting for learning. These interest areas include blocks, puzzles, a writing area, housekeeping, dress up and a science and math area with computer where appropriate.

• The curriculum is built on 36 research-based skills for development beginning in infancy. The curriculum focuses on mastering these skills in the preschool years before Kindergarten. A few examples of these skills include behavior, speech, relationships and attitude.

• The Creative Curriculum supports teaching with intention…knowing why an activity is being done by the children and what learning objectives are being supported.

• Lastly, The Creative Curriculum places emphasis on those precious “teachable moments” when, for example, an infant first smiles during a diaper change or a two year old completes a puzzle with no hints. It is in these every day moments that social, physical, emotional, linguistic and cognitive learning is taking place.

Your support of The Children’s Center makes it accessible to working families in our community regardless of their economic circumstances. By investing in our children and providing them a strong academic and social foundation, we secure our collective future.

LEGACY GIVINGDid you know there are creative ways to support The Children’s Center? Ways in which you and your loved ones all benefit at the same time?

Such giving techniques are called “planned gifts.” With thoughtful planning, you can create solutions for you and The Children’s Center. For example:

• You can make a bequest in your will.

• You can donate stock to realize tax savings.

• You can designate a charity as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

These are just some of the ways you can support The Children’s Center as you plan your legacy. Your estate planner can provide you with more information. If you have decided to include The Children’s Center in your estate plans, please let us know so that we can show you our appreciation!

Summer 2014 3

The evening kicked off with a reception around the beautiful Yacht Club swimming pool and a special showing of the newly produced video: A Day at

The Children’s Center. The video chronicles the arrival of Natasha and her family at The Children’s Center. Once she has the children settled in, Natasha can go off to work knowing her children are in safe hands. The video features an overview of the The Children’s Center’s stimulating, educational and nurturing environment for children of working families presented by lead teacher Nyisha Mitchell. Nyisha is a Children’s Center graduate, herself. And her son is now enrolled at The Early Childhood Learning Center! This educational video is designed to be used with the media, during speaking engagements, with donors and present and future partners and supporters. It can be viewed on The Children’s Center website at www.thechildrenscentersc.org. Following the video, guests were treated to an outstanding dinner prepared under the direction of Head Chef Kevin Cavanaugh and his staff. Each course was impeccably served by the Yacht Club staff. A special thanks to the South Carolina Yacht Club and General Manager and CEO Lee Lucier for their generosity. After dinner, guests were encouraged to preview the Hilton Head Island Tenth In-Water Boat Show which was open to the public on May 3 and 4. Sail and power boats of all sizes from some of the world’s most illustrious boat dealers were on display. Many thanks to all of our supporters who made the ”All Hands on Deck” Children’s Center event a huge success.

And they were on Friday evening, May 2, at the South Carolina Yacht Club Boat Show Preview to benefit The Children’s Center.

A special thanks to WTOC and producer Craig Harney for making “A Day at The Children’s Center” possible.

Please view our video,

“A Day at The Children’s Center”

by visiting our website

thechildrenscentersc.org

Photos © Alec Bishop Photography

The Children’s Center Circle Time4

Rotary Truly Does Have Heart

Guests enjoyed a reception around the beautiful Yacht Club swimming pool and then an outstanding dinner

Rotary International designated February 14, 2014, as “Rotary Has Heart Day.” On this single day, all Rotary Clubs in the area were asked to engage in a project that would help put food on an empty plate, fill an empty stomach, or bring a ray of hope to a hungry child.

The Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island celebrated “Rotary Has Heart Day” by forgoing their full buffet lunch at Sea Pines Country Club. Instead, they had a “light lunch” on February 13 and donated the difference between the cost of the buffet and the “light lunch” to The Children’s Center.

A Proclamation from Mayor Drew Laughlin was presented to the Rotary Club and a check for $1,794 was presented to Tonya Jenkins for The Children’s Center. The Center provides its more than 200 students with two nutritious meals and a snack each day.

Our sincere thanks to the Rotary Club of Hilton Head and Sea Pines Country Club for their generous help in feeding the children!

5

It is the day each week that teacher Ashley Drains brings 11 senior high school students from the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence (ACE) to The Center to intern as part of its Early Childhood Education program.

Upon arrival, each student goes to their assigned classroom and assists the lead teacher with the academic curriculum and caring for the children from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

According to Ms. Drains, “I can teach them from a text book, but nothing compares to hands-on training. As a result of these internships, my students can say they’ve been in the early education classroom. As a result, I can see they have been bitten with the early education bug! They’ve seen the children make progress academically, been touched by their smiles and wiped away the occasional tear. I can’t teach students that.”

The partnership with ACE began when Executive Director Jennifer Cajigas was invited by Ms. Drains to address her students on career opportunities in early childhood education. After the class, Ms. Drains suggested the idea of internships at The Children’s Center and a successful, new program was born.

“It’s a win-win situation,” explains Jennifer. “ The teachers look forward to mentoring the high school students. The Children Center’s students love having the extra attention from someone closer to their own age, and the ACE students receive valuable in-classroom training.”

We look forward to seeing a new class of students from Ms. Drain’s Early Childhood Education program at ACE. Thanks to all the ACE students who enriched The Children Center’s program this year!

Endorsements like this are music to our ears!

One of our board members received this note from a donor making a 5-year pledge to The Children’s Center in the amount of $1,000 per year.

“I especially appreciated, and will take the information away with me for other conversations, the data on the percentage of tuition paying families. This demonstrated to us that everyone involved, including the recipient families, are doing their best with what they have to make the financial equation work. We are glad to be able to help out in some small way.

Thanks again for your involvement with the Children’s Center. We would not be aware of all the good it does for the community without your personal investment of time and skills.”

Academy for Career Excellence Interns at The Children’s CenterThursdays have become a very special day at The Children’s Center.

A Special Thank You for Support from

Our Local Businesses!

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been supported by these local businesses:

Alec Bishop, Photographer

Beach Properties of Hilton Head Island

Click Event Production

Coligny Limited Partners

Custom Audio Video

Destination Vacation

Dolphin Head Golf

Palmetto Gas

Pretty Papers

South Carolina Yacht Club

Triad Design Group

WTOC

The families we serve work in our community. Local business support

helps ensure that working families can afford quality early childhood

education and childcare.

Thank you!

8 Nature’s Way Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

A Legacy of Love and Learning

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Hilton Head Island, SC

Permit No. 200

Providing Quality Childcare & Early Education for Working Families since 1967

• The Children’s Center enables working families to afford quality education & childcare.

• The Children’s Center provides a multicultural, bilingual early childhood program for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years beginning at 6:30 each morning.

• The Children’s Center serves a nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack at NO additional cost to parents.

Visit us at our Jarvis Creek Park location We invite you to tour our facility at your convenience!Please call 843.681.2739 or visit www.thechildrenscentersc.org for info

The Bargain Box

Thanks to our major supporters

Support The Children’s Center Everytime You Shop!

Kroger Community Rewards®

To enroll sign in or create an account at

www.kroger.com/communityrewards

Once signed in you can enroll or update your Community Rewards under your Account Settings. Then all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card to earn donations for The Children’s Center!

Together in EducationSimply give the cashier your VIC Card and

The Children’s Center Together In Education school code (5734) during checkout OR visit

www.harristeeter.com/community/together_in_education/link_to_

your_school.aspx

to enroll. It’s that easy!