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
• 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)

CREATIVE CURRICULUM® 
Waypoint utilizes the Creative Curriculum for Preschoolers® and the Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos®. The main ideal set forth by this curriculum is that children learn best through a combination of directed and self-initiated play and exploration. 

Infants and Toddlers (birth to age 2 ½): 
The term "curriculum" may seem too formal to use in reference to infants and toddlers. The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos® however, simply creates a framework for how we: 1) learn from and interact with each child and family, 2) create a warm, nurturing, and stimulating environment, 3) promote health and safety, and 4) plan and evaluate our program. This framework allows us to foster the development of social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills in each and every child. 

Preschoolers (age 2 ½ to 5): 
At this age, a child's abilities may become a bit more sophisticated, but their basic needs remain the same. The Creative Curriculum grows with them, while maintaining a focus on developing social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language skills. Weekly themes are used to expand the children's learning on a variety of topics. These themes are incorporated into the classroom's learning centers and focuses on the core concepts of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and technology. School Age (age 5 – 12):

 

Before and After School
Our programs teach social skills and allows for play, imagination, and fun while focusing on independent growth. We focus on building relationships with positive adult role models, providing a safe and enjoyable place for kids to be themselves under the guidance of our qualified teachers. Each week our teachers plan for craft projects, dramatic play, large motor activities, and social skills; while also allowing for the spontaneity of ‘pick-up’ games which are common for school-age children.

School Day Out/School Breaks
During these short half-day to week-long breaks, we have a greater focus on large group games, craft projects which require more time, and experiences which contribute to the ‘schools out’ fun.

Summer Camp
During our summer camp programming, we remember and encourage the typical camp experience by incorporating a mix of field trips, swimming, games, and imagination. We focus on developmentally age appropriate activities and provide separate curriculums for our two primary age groups. We offer a Discovery Experience for our children in grades K-1 and an Explorer Experience for our grades 2-5. We enjoy teaching independence and encourage an experience to reflect children being able to play and enjoy the ‘typical childhood experiences’ – such as making a mess, outside games, and the typical spontaneous activities a group of children would do together.

Qualified Teachers
You 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.

Quality Initiatives 

QRS – Quality Rating System 
The state of Iowa has developed a rating system to measure the quality of child care provided in licensed centers and homes, called the Iowa Quality Rating System. It was developed to raise the quality of child care in Iowa, to increase the number of children in high-quality child care settings, and to educate parents about quality in child care. It is a voluntary program that offers providers a guided way to improve the quality of child care they provide. There are five different levels. A provider who achieves Level 1 has met Iowa’s registration or licensing standards. A provider who achieves Level 2 has received additional training and made the first steps toward improving quality. Providers in Levels 3-5 have made significant steps in meeting key indicators of quality in the areas of:

 

• 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 both Uptown Kids and RiverRidge Kids; ParkRidge Kids is in the middle of completing their survey but has applied for Level 3. 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 Manager. 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.