Welcome to Thomas Learning Centers! Your child may be the first one in your family ever to go to a childcare center.  If that's true, a few words about our centers and the ideas behind them may interest you.   If you’re and “old hand” at choosing  care and education for your kids, this info will separate us from the crowd.

Our  mission is to provide quality, developmentally appropriate, affordable care for children and to meet the needs of each child in a safe, healthy, home-like environment.

It is the philosophy of Thomas Learning Centers that "play is the serious business of childhood".  In order to stimulate every child's intellectual, physical and emotional development, we see our role as that of facilitators.  Through careful curriculum planning, it is our privilege and responsibility to allow children to discover and interpret their world.

We have a few goals that we want to share with you

• Your child will be safe when in our care

• Your child will learn life skills in our program

• Your child will be provided with opportunities to make developmentally appropriate choices

• We will support, enrich and enhance your child’s education and character development

Our staff does their very best to give quality care.  We look after your youngster with the same warm concern that you would.  We are standing in your place while you are on your job, so quality care, the kind you would give, is a very serious obligation.

We agree with Jean Piaget: "Play is the serious business of childhood" and strive every day to provide your child with the opportunity to participate in child initiated, structured activities in these areas: language, math/science, arts, crafts, music/movement, gross and fine motor skills, blocks and manipulative toys, and dramatic play.  As your child plays in a water table, she learns principles of buoyancy and measurement.  Block play teaches spatial concepts.   Listening to stories builds reading readiness skills.   Arts and crafts increase creativity and decision making along with self-esteem.  Dramatic play builds social skills and practice for living in the adult world.  So you can see, what looks like play is really learning.

Providing food and enough rest are also a part of this quality care.  We prepare a well-balanced lunch and two nutritious snacks each day.  Planning the day so children don't get too tired is a part of it.  Being alert to prevent hurts and accidents is also very important.  Comforting children when something goes wrong- - just as you would do- - is always a priority.

While you are busy at your job you won't have much chance to see what actually goes on day after day.  Of course, anytime you are free to visit, by all means, do.  When you do, you will be pleased with what goes on.  You will see the children busy with their friends.

The children talk a lot as they play together.  They look at books and pictures and exhibits in the room; they listen to stories; they work on puzzles; they take trips.  They paint; they work with clay and blocks; they pretend and make believe.

One thing you can count on, if your child's bad moments in the group outweigh the good ones too often, the staff will be sure to tell you- - and you must return the favor.  Sharing information in a children's center isn't easy, since you and the staff are both busy.  However, communication is very important.

The fact that your child is at Thomas Learning Centers means that now your child has two sets of caring people, both of whom want the days to go well.