Shepherdstown Day Care is awarded funding for Music and Dance

The Shepherdstown Day Care received funding from the Mardi Gras Fund to continue and expand its arts education program. This year's line up includes: Dance classes with Kitty Clark, professional dancer, chorographer, director of Goose Route Dance Collaborative, and experienced teacher; Story-telling and singing with Kathleen Dawe, whose years of experience include teaching the Lap Babies at Shepherdstown Public Library; and the latest addition, Jesse Schultzaberger, professional musician, member of Shepherdstown's Speakeasy Boys and music teacher. In addition to introducing basic music theory to the preschool and Pre-K children, Jesse is organizing an Artist Series of professional musicians.

According to Board President Lynn Wilson, "The Artist Series will bring a range of musicians to the Center for informal performances of such instruments as banjo, drums, guitar, washboard, jug, trombone and bass. Our children will experience a rich variety of music including bluegrass and jazz, and will have a close-up and personal experience with a variety of musicians." Wilson said she is delighted that the Day Care is able to offer these enriching art experiences and is extremely grateful to the Mardi Gras Fund, and president Quincy Northrup, for their support of art education in general and the Shepherdstown Day Care in particular. Center Director Melissa Holman agrees, "The special art experiences enrich our entire curriculum. Staff, parents and children all appreciate having these wonderful opportunities for our children."

Spanish Comes to Shepherdstown Day Care

Our brains, at least when they're young and plastic, are equipped to learn several languages at once, naturally without study, without learning complicated rules ... just by speaking. The 3-and-4-year-olds at Shepherdstown Day Care are a case in point. Since this past September, Shepherdstown's Sara Blint, a native of Columbia, South America has been volunteering at the Center each week reading and talking to the preschoolers in Spanish and the children are spellbound.

Teacher Karen Walker is equally spellbound. "Sara's enthusiasm is contagious. At the lunch table or on the playground, the children proudly point to each other's shirts, saying ‘that's blanco’ or ‘I'm wearing roja’."

Melissa Holman, the director of the Day Care is grateful to Sara for her time and energy. "The Day Care is lucky to have such wonderful community support." Melissa is happy to gives tours to the Center. Call her at 876-6923.

Making a Joyful Sound Unto the Lord

Click here to read an article about Mr. Day Care Center, Keith Boyd.

New Pre-K Collaborative at SDC

As part of a new WV State program, The Shepherdstown Day Care Center and the Jefferson County Board of Education are collaborating to provide a Pre-K program for four-year-olds in the 2007-08 school year.

Click here to view the entire Press Release.

SDC Opens New Infant-Toddler Wing

On its 33rd anniversary in September, the Center celebrated the dedication of its new 4,600 sq ft addition: The Ruth D. Brown Infant and Toddler Wing. The addition, made possible by support from a myriad of sources including a $150,000 bequest from Keith Knost in 2002, generous grants from the Helen Parker Willard Foundation, the State, the Corporation of Shepherdstown, the Jefferson County Commission, and contributions from many individuals in the community, began as the vision of Ruth Brown and the Board in the late 1990s.

SDC Introduces New Curriculum

SDC's new curriculum: The "Creative Curriculum" is a teaching approach founded on theories of how young children develop cognitive, language, social and emotional skills. It is a system of planning and assessment used to design classroom environments to stimulate children's learning and development. In preparation for launching this curriculum the Board of Directors sent two teachers to an intensive 4-day early childhood conference in Washington D.C. in August. Melissa Holman, who was recently promoted to a newly created Head Teacher position at the Center, will guide the curriculum's implementation.

SDC is Awarded Preschool Arts Enrichment Grant

The Center staff and Board are delighted to have been awarded a grant from the Mardi Gras Fund for a new Preschool Arts Enrichment Program. The grant funds weekly dance and art classes for preschool children through June 2007. The Mardi Gras Fund, based in Shepherdstown, supports a variety of art education initiatives for young children. Dance classes are being taught by Kitty Clark, choreographer, performer and founder of Goose Route Arts Collaborative, who has a wealth of experience teaching children of all ages. Art classes are being taught by Lindsay Guild, a working Shepherdstown artist also with many years of experience teaching young children.