Aug 22, 2022 13:44

ivy chan

The first few years of life are the perfect time to secure a strong future for all Santa Monica children. Early education enhances equity and is essential for the prosperity of families and communities. Whether your child begins care as an infant, toddler, or preschooler, Santa Monica has a wide range of early learning programs with varying curricula, hours, and costs.

Rich and safe care should be accessible to all children, regardless of family income, needs, race or ethnicity, or language spoken. Connections for Children, your local child care resource and referral agency, can help you find programs that meet your needs and determine if you qualify for funding to cover their costs (connectionsforchildren.org or (310) 452-3325).

Our community is stronger when every child is healthy, safe and committed to early learning. Learn about the passionate and diverse professionals doing this important work in Santa Monica. This is part 7 of the series.

program name: Beach Moms Child Development Center (CDC)

Program Director: Celia Fisher

Eligible Child Ages: 2 to 6 years old

business hours: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Open all year round

A brief history: Celia Fisher founded Beach Moms Child Development Center in 2012 as a fully inclusive child care after 17 years of working in classrooms for children with special needs.

Can you tell us about the importance of full inclusion and how to implement it in your program?

Beach Moms is a regular kindergarten, but often has children who need extra support. Sometimes it’s behavioral (which can interfere with schoolwork later), anxiety, speech, or something else entirely. For some children, full inclusion seems flexible. That means spending half a day in the program and having services for the other half, letting you do things other than naps if your brain needs it, helping you get in and out of special places, etc. . Buses they access. It also appears to support children with eating problems. That’s what full inclusion looks like, getting ready and supporting parents a little more.

How has your background in the special needs classroom influenced your current job?

I am very open and supportive of the process by which professionals come to determine if children in my program are eligible for services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech therapy. I strongly advocate parental follow-up and addressing when developmental issues are raised. I know how to get you where you need to be.I don’t want any kid to graduate from Beach Moms and realize they should have been served two years ago. I would love to help I don’t just want to keep my contract and make my family happy. I am here to serve the whole child.

Tell us about your experience as the sole ECE provider for the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.

One of my ex-parents is on the city council and encouraged me to attend if there was room on the floor. I applied and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce. This was a great way to learn about and serve small businesses in Santa Monica. Historically, there hasn’t been much diversity on the board. I am proud to be on the Board and help reflect what our community looks like. We would love to be part of your Chamber. Business has changed in the last few years. I look forward to showing up to the community and getting to know what’s going on in the community so I can support the business I’m trying to start in the community.

For more information, contact Beach Moms CDC directly at beachmomz.com or (310) 957-0326.

For a list of licensed early childhood education programs in Santa Monica, visit santamonicacradletocareer.org/childcare.

If you’re a licensed ECE provider in Santa Monica and want to share your story, email humanservices@santamonica.gov.

Previous Blog Post: Why Early Childhood is an Investment in Your Future 3 Reasons Early Childhood Matters in Santa Monica Home of the ECE Blog Post Series

author

ivy chan
Senior Administrative Analyst

Category

young and old