Program

Welcome To Our Family!

At TLC Development Centers, we make every effort to enrich the life of every child attending our program. Our mission is to provide high-quality early childhood education and care, incorporating the best research and knowledge of child development and health.

We support families by providing their children with a loving, nurturing environment, by being accessible to discuss their children’s needs and by offering these services at reasonable prices.

Our motto is “Your child’s future starts here!”

We Believe That…

Every child can accomplish anything that any other human has ever accomplished.

Each child is a special human being. A miracle. They are the most important child in the world to their families and they are treated as such here.

Children must feel unique and be allowed to express their feelings openly whether it be anger, sadness, joy, or any other emotions. When they are hurt, they receive hugs and sympathy and we will never tell them they aren’t hurt.

Every child should be fed a well-balanced diet – and then some. Children are fed when they are hungry. We never force a child to eat when they say they are not hungry as this can develop into lifelong bad eating habits.

Family Engagement

Supportive relationships are a crucial component in achieving positive outcomes in your child’s academic success. TLC Development Centers provides many different opportunities for families to get involved in their child’s education.

We understand that families are very busy, and how rare free time can be. However, the time that you can spend in the center with your child is invaluable. Your child will be happy to have the experience of the special people in his/her life working together. This will allow your child to develop a sense of security and will allow us to develop a closer relationship.

Welcome Interviews

Welcome Interviews are a requirement for New Mexico Pre-K and a vital part of the enrollment process. During the interview, valuable information will be gathered about your child’s needs as well as their wants. The information will make it possible for us to create a lesson plan that will pique your child’s interest in learning. Typically, these interviews are held where your child is most comfortable. Allowing children the opportunity to interact with their teacher in the comfort of their own homes lets them know that the teacher can be trusted. This makes the transition from home to school more successful on their first day.

Family Teacher Conferences

Three conferences are held each year. The conferences provide information regarding your child’s classroom experience as well as an opportunity to showcase his/her achievements. Your commitment to attend each conference is a requirement for New Mexico Pre-K and beneficial for your child’s success throughout their academic career. Dates will be made available in the classrooms, on our Facebook pages, and provided at the time of enrollment in the Family Activities Calendar.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the classroom allows you and your child to bond in an academic environment. Your role as a parent is just as crucial to your child’s education as his/her teacher. Families are encouraged to share their cultural and family traditions with the entire class. If you have special talents you would like to share, please let us know! Career Day, field trips, holiday events, family nights, and classroom activities are a few of the many other ways in which you can participate.

Materials & Services

If volunteering time simply is not possible, consider volunteering services or donating upcycle-able materials to your child’s class.

Some examples are:

Small plastic food containers (butter, cream cheese, etc) to be used in home living,
Empty paper towels or toilet paper rolls to use for art projects
Pine cones or other nature items for the science centers.

Children get a great sense of pride and purpose when their items become the next class project!

Examples of services needed are:

Book Doctor
Weekend Pet Parent
Naptime Laundry Fairy

Please sign up with your child’s teacher.

Your Child’s Day

Our children learn social, emotional, and cognitive skills through play and group activities. They have many choices during the day to do activities that best fit their needs and individual interests.

Our classrooms have multiple interest areas to explore. These include a library, dramatic play, blocks, math and manipulatives, science, art, music, writing, sensory and circle time.

Healthy meals and snacks are served in the classrooms every three hours. Family-style dining is practiced for children who are developmentally ready (typically 2 years and older).

Each day incorporates a balance of:

Indoor and outdoor play
Quiet and active times
Large group and small group, as well as individual, activities
Activities using both large and small muscles
Child-initiated activities as well as adult-initiated activities

Activities provide learning opportunities through:

The many types of play
Familiar day-to-day routines
Opportunities for social interaction with peers and adults
Opportunities that are challenging both physically and intellectually
Transition times

About our Curriculum

At TLC Development Centers we educate the whole child. That means that we consider every child a unique individual; socially, emotionally, culturally, physically, and intellectually. Each teacher is responsible for individualizing their planning in order to promote the unique growth of each child.

Curriculum by Age

We follow the New Mexico Early Learning Guidelines when developing our curriculum and offer a wide variety of activities.
The children participate in art, science, cooking, music, library, etc. daily.

Infants

An infant’s day includes music, reading, bubbles, tummy time, and more to ensure physical and intellectual development.

Toddlers

The toddler curriculum is designed to teach your child a wide variety of items. The curriculum has an emphasis on language and physical development. Their day includes art, music, shapes, circle time, etc.

Preschool

This program is designed to allow your child to explore and learn through themes, arts and crafts, cooking, science, numbers, letters, shapes, cutting skills and all other areas of life skills readiness. A solid foundation is formed for your child’s continued success!

School Age

School-age children are encouraged to explore their social growth and development. Peer interaction through social activities, field trips and special events help to encourage strong social skills. This age group also participates in cooking, science, arts and crafts, and many other engaging activities.

About our Educators

Our teachers are educated, experienced, well-trained, and committed to the success of each child in their classroom. They are required to have or be pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Multicultural Education. Our teachers keep up with the latest philosophies in Early Childhood Development. Each staff member is required to be certified in CPR and first aid.

We adhere to the following guidelines and principles with teachers who work at our centers:

Carefully screen potential employees and train employees thoroughly in child development and health and safety best practices.
Staff the center so that each child’s individual needs are met.
Develop a policy of frequent family conferences, newsletters and other means of communication.
Ensure teachers welcome family questions and comments cheerfully, give serious attention to each comment and try to address each comment promptly.
Ensure that teachers reflect the diversity of the community, and respect the culture of every family that we serve.
Establish an integrated, multidisciplinary system of professional development, training, and technical assistance that supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of practices that are respectful of and responsive to each child and family.