Child Care
Child development at its best!
Philosophy
At Waypoint, we’re dedicated to providing a high quality, nurturing environment where children are encouraged to reach their fullest potential in all areas of development. We've designed our child care programs to help children develop their physical, emotional, social, intellectual and creative abilities through structured activities involving science, math, literacy, the arts, and technology.
We value each child as an individual and work with you to create an environment that helps your child learn, grow and have fun!
We provide:
- A curriculum that encourages physical growth, fosters cognitive learning, and enhances social-emotional development;
- An environment where each child’s health and safety is of utmost importance;
- The opportunity for staff to grow as teachers, as well as learners – bringing the latest knowledge in childcare and development to the classroom;
- A partnership that values the family as each child’s first teacher;
- An inclusive program that embraces every child and family, regardless of ethnicity, culture, religion, ability, socio-economic status, or family structure.
Our Programs
- Uptown Kids Child Development Center
- Kirkwood Kids Child Development Center
- RiverRidge Kids Child Development Center
- ParkRidge Kids Child Development Center
- School Age Kids Program - serving eleven elementary schools
- Summer Adventure Day Camp
Curriculum
Early Childhood (birth to age 5)
School Age (age 5 – 12):
Quality Initiatives
Qualified TeachersYou can be sure your children are in capable hands at Waypoint. Our Lead Teachers have education and experience in early childhood education. In addition, all of our staff meet or exceed state licensing requirements and are trained in CPR, First Aid, infectious disease control and child development. But it's not just experience and know-how that make our staff great, it's the way they love and nurture the children in their care.
- Professional development
- Health and safety
- Environment
- Family and community partnership
- Leadership and administration.
At Waypoint we strive for a minimum rating of Level 3, which has been attained at RiverRidge Kids and ParkRidge Kids is in the middle of completing their survey but has applied for Level 3. Uptown Kids has continued to grow and has recently reached Level 4. Our sites continue their efforts to make improvements and will be applying for their next level at the time of renewal.
IQPPS – Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards In collaboration with the Cedar Rapids Community School District, our Uptown Kids Child Development Center works to deliver free, quality preschool to 40 children. The IQPPS were developed as a beginning point for child care programs to engage in a continuum to implement quality standards for early childhood programs as they work towards accreditation with NAEYC program standards and criteria. The QPPS are based on research and evidence-based practices in child development and early education. The ten standards and selected criteria are from the NAEYC Accreditation standards and criteria. Early childhood practitioners and researchers have ensured that each criterion reflects quality practices and interventions proven to promote children’s health and developmental outcomes. Our Uptown Kids Child Development Center is completing the self-study and assessment process as we continue to make improvements in this program.
Family Support
The Waypoint Family Support Specialist is available to help your family if your children are in need of resources beyond the scope of the classroom environment. The Family Support Specialist can assist your family with financial, behavioral, or family concerns – and can connect you with community resources to help. The primary role is to assist families who are awarded child care assistance from the Department of Human Services or funding through the Waypoint Sliding Fee Program. If you are in need of financial assistance, contact the Waypoint Family Support Specialist at 319-365-1458 ext. 243.
Food Service
Waypoint provides nutritious breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack for children in its care under the Food Services Director. We follow the nutrition guidelines set forth by the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which we have participated in for over 25 years. We follow all current Department of Human Services licensing guidelines regarding nutrition, including the accommodation of special diets and posting menus for parents.
Safety First
The safety of the children we serve is always of utmost importance to us. From parent identification to monthly drills to safety inspections of our equipment to on-going staff training -- safety is a priority. In addition, our programs are equipped with a keypad entry system for program security.