Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center
EDUCATIONAL READINESS
Early childhood research reveals that children who enter kindergarten without key readiness skills (e.g., social skills, self-control, early literacy, math skills, and vocabulary skills) are likely to remain behind throughout their academic experience. Such children are also at a significant risk of not completing high school. Our Educational Readiness Program ensures that at-risk children are provided with the training and resources required to succeed throughout kindergarten. Upon completing this program, preschool-aged children should perform the following tasks with competence:
​
-
Follow directions
-
Successfully manage bathroom needs
-
Repeat their full names, home addresses, and birthdays
-
Successfully grip pencils, crayons, and markers
-
Identify and recite various letters of the alphabet
-
Write their first and last names
-
Count from 0 to 100
-
Successfully use glue, paint, and other art materials
-
Successfully engage in social interactions with friends
-
Listen to lectures and stories without interrupting
​
HOMEWORK ASSISTANCE
Our Homework Assistance Program is comprised of tutoring sessions for children between the ages of 5 and 12. The primary purpose of this program is to reduce learning delays among elementary students. Students enrolled in this program are offered the following services:
​
-
Academic tutoring
-
Personal assistance with homework and assignments
​
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE
Our Before and After School Program is accessible to low-income parents and children from 6:30am to 5:30pm (Mondays through Fridays).
Students enrolled in this program benefit from the following services:
​
-
Assistance with character development
-
Assistance with creative expression
-
Assistance with social skills development
-
Assistance with physical and motor skills development
​
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY TRAINING
Our Computer Technology Training Program enables children to explore and navigate through various computer software games (e.g., Spelling City, Math Missions, and "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?") which promote a strong vocabulary and math skills. This program furthermore helps children to improve upon their reading comprehension and critical thinking abilities.
Our Computer Technology Training Program accomplishes the following tasks:
​
-
Introduces children to technological platforms at a relatively young age
-
Improves children’s math, science, reading, and spelling abilities through fun / exploratory computer games
-
Propels children to develop creative thinking and analytical skills
​
LITERACY SKILLS ENHANCEMENT
Helping children with literacy skills, at an early age, is an essential aspect of promoting a healthy development and successful outcomes in school. Our Literacy Skills Enhancement Program enables children to develop their vocabulary, writing, and reading skills. Through this program, children are introduced to a literacy-rich environment filled with resources such as books, dictionaries, menus, recipes, labels, calendars, etc.
​
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
All of our programs are geared towards fulfilling the following functions in the lives of low-income children and families:
​
-
Intervene in the lives of children who are underperforming in school and struggling in other areas of life
-
Collaborate with teachers and schools in order to best meet the academic needs of at-risk children
-
Assist needy families through charitable provisions
-
Appraise children's household dynamics and help them to overcome socioemotional challenges