Children’s Learning Center Annual Report
November 1, 2020
(The Covid-19 Year)
Currently we have 70 children enrolled with a few openings in our Pre-K, 3-year-old and 2-year-old classes. We have a waiting list of 11 for the Toddler rooms. Enrollment includes 7 in Infant 1 & 2, 15 in Toddler 1 & 2, 9 in the two-year-old class, 15 in the 3-year-old classes and 24 in the Pre-K classes. There are two more Infant students enrolled, one to begin in November and one in January. Two definite factors have contributed to the low number of students enrolled: State licensing’s decrease in student to teacher ratios to reduce the potential spread of Covid-19 and the community’s overall fear of Covid-19. Despite these factors, CLC’s outstanding reputation continues to bring in families. We have had 3 families that have enrolled based on reputation alone; no in person visit or tour, everything done by phone or online.
We were finally able to install the observation windows in the Infant and Toddler rooms as we had originally promised the parents in our expansion project. They are beautiful!
We experienced a sewer back up and closed for 2 ½ days in February 2020. Insurance covered the damages and we now have new flooring and new paint in most of the classrooms. They look amazing and should be durable and easily maintained.
We have a total of 20 staff members. Those new to CLC include Abigail A. in the Toddler room, Diana C. (a retired public school teacher) in a Pre K class, Kaity B. in the morning as a runner and in the afternoon Extended Care, Kaleigh D. in the Toddler room, Kennedy T. in the 2’s room and Madison G. (a certified public school teacher) in a Pre K class. Mara McGee is continuing to help 3 days per week in the afternoons in PreK.
Covid-19 tore from us many things this year. CLC closed back in March and was unable to reopen until June 1. The staff was supported financially for that time even though we did not receive tuition income. When we did open in June, we introduced many safety protocols to decrease the contamination of the building, staff, and children. We invested in 3 portable sinks and placed them in the Pre K classrooms for immediate access to warm water for thorough hand washing. We lost 3 seasoned veteran teachers as well as our P.E. teacher. We have restrictions on the way we use our space and are unable to have Music class or the Soccer Shots and Stretch and Grow enrichment programs as we have in the past. We have decreased what goes in the classrooms and increased the number of times we clean. Thankfully, we were able to resume Chapel on Monday and Tuesday.
This has been a rough season for CLC, and the community we serve. My prayer is that we continue to meet a very desperate need for the children of Arlington to hear about our Jesus and come to know Him as their Lord and Savior!
Karolyn Havener, Director