The IUS Children’s Center has made a few changes in their system.

A progress checklist has been made to display a child’s personal growth over the period of time they attend the Children’s Center.

Wanda Gregory, director of Children’s Center, said the progress checklist not only helps them, but also the parents of the children to understand where the child is growing and where they need assistance.

“It’s a developmental checklist,” Gregory said. “It observes where we believe the kids are in their development.”

She said it helps show where progress is being made in certain areas of learning and where improvement might be needed in other areas.

Gregory, along with the other assistants, will meet with the children’s parents to show them the checklist and also show them where their child stands on personal growth and interaction with other children.

“The parents get to see where their child is developing and if they are struggling it shows us where we might need to improve to help them,” she said.

Each month the children have certain units of study that they are taught that include numbers, understanding of the different holidays, colors, food and different types of animals. Last month they learned about Black History Month and subtraction.

The units of study for the month of March the children are learning include circuses, money, mammals, numbers up to 15 and St. Patrick’s Day.

The IU Southeast Children’s Center is not restricted to children of the students and faculty.

Gregory said they welcome children of the IUS community as well as any others in need ages two through 13.

Another change that has been made is the sign-in and sign-out sheets have been switched to a computer.

Gregory said it took them hours every week for them to go through all the sign-in and sign-out papers of each day and try to organize everything for one individual customer but now the new system does that for them.

“It stays more true to the actual time that the kids are in and out and it is more private,” she said.

Barbara Hall, daycare assistant, said the parents of the children have done nothing but praise the new system.

“It helps a lot when the parents are in a hurry,” Hall said.

She said some of them have to go to work or attend classes and when they are pressed for time signing in is a lot easier now that it is computerized.

“The parents really like it,” Hall said.

“We have had some parents call us and tell us how they approve of the new system.” 

The payment system has also been updated. Patrons are required to pre-pay for hours at the Children’s Center.

Weekly pre-payments can be paid in the Bursar’s Office in University Center North.

Fees can now be paid on IU Pay on-line by check or charge for IU Southeast members.

The IU Southeast Children’s Center is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 7.a.m. to 6 p.m. for the community.

By NATALIE DEDAS
Staff Writer
natdedas@ius.edu