WHO ARE WE?
The Children’s Greenhouse is sponsored by Nassau Community College and The Faculty Student Association. Established in 1979 to support the students, staff, faculty and administrators of the college, thousands of children have passed through our doors over the past 30 years. The center is licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and provides outstanding, yet reasonably priced, child care to allow parents to continue their education or employment knowing that their children are in a safe and nurturing environment. We work in tandem with the mission of the College, which is to provide affordable and accessible high quality education and career preparation to the residents of Long Island and beyond.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
At the Children’s Greenhouse we believe that good child care depends upon consistent caregiving in a warm and friendly atmosphere. We also believe children learn and grow best in a comfortably structured environment where they are encouraged both individually and in groups to experiment and make discoveries.
Children who attend the Greenhouse come from a variety of family situations and a variety of ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds and we consider it essential that these differences be accepted and respected. Children are enrolled at the Greenhouse regardless of special needs and every effort is made to accommodate them.
While each of the center’s classrooms are individualized in their goals and objectives, each classroom forms its specific aims within the context of these principles:
- The home is the most important factor in a child’s development. We will always strive to support the family in order to promote the healthy development of children.
- The dignity and worth of each child and family is important.
- Loving, trusting and respecting each child makes that child capable of loving, trusting and respecting others.
- Each child should be helped to have a positive self-image.
- It is important to meet each child’s needs for physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth.
- The needs of children change as they grow and our program must respond by providing a curriculum that challenges their abilities.
- Children deserve a nurturing, safe and happy environment that promotes their natural curiosity and desire to learn.
- Children deserve to have caregivers who are capable and caring and whose values enable them to be excellent role models.
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WHO DO WE SERVE?
Students, staff, faculty and administrators of the College can use the services of the center. The majority of the children attending are children of student parents.
The center services children from 2 months old to 5 years old. Children are placed into one of 6 age appropriate groups:
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CURRICULUM
The Greenhouse provides a full range of activities for children in a friendly and nurturing environment. Children come and go all day at the center, so a variety of ongoing activities are offered which are based on a monthly center-wide curriculum theme. Children are free to choose from building with blocks, easel painting, playing with playdough, water play, sand play, role playing in the housekeeping area, story time, music and movement. Children go outside to the playground daily (weather permitting). Most importantly, children are encouraged to develop a positive self-image and respect for others, to learn inner controls and self-help skills, and to cooperate with other children and adults.
The activities at the Greenhouse include regularly scheduled snacks and lunch, opportunities to rest, indoor and outdoor play and routines of physical caregiving that promote the children's comfort, health and competence. Experiences with music, movement, art, language, literacy and construction are interwoven throughout the day.
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HOW DO I APPLY?
There is an up-to-date waiting list of many families who have expressed an interest in having a child in the program. All interested families are sent a packet which includes an application, a brochure describing the program, and a letter explaining the waiting list process. After they return the application they receive follow up letters, several times a year, which give them additional information on their status. Depending on scheduling needs, there is generally a one to two semester wait from the time of application to the time of admission.
Families are accepted based on a number of factors: date of application, scheduling needs, age of child and number of children per family. Students are accepted more readily than faculty or staff because they have more flexibility in arranging schedules.
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION 
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HOW ARE CHILDREN SCHEDULED?
The Greenhouse provides flexible scheduling. A child's hours at the center are determined by the parent's schedule of classes or work on campus. To facilitate the child's adjustment to the center, there is a minimum requirement of 10 hours of child care per week.
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COST
All parents who bring their children to the Greenhouse pay child care fees on a sliding scale, based on their family income. Eligible student parents receive financial assistance through a federal grant the center receives each year. The rates are hourly and semester fees are calculated by multiplying the hourly rate by the number of hours used by the number of weeks in the semester.
DOWNLOAD FEE SCHEDULE
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CONTACT US
We would be happy to answer any questions you have about our program. We are open Monday through Friday, 7:15am to 5:30pm and can be reached by phone (222-7085), fax (228-8104) or email childcare@ncc.edu.
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