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Hi-Hello Child Care Center Stresses Quality When Caring for Children

Posted on: Friday, 22 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

If you couldn't find quality child care, what would you do? Hi- Hello Child Care Center was originally opened in 1968 by an educator who wanted to create a better place for children to learn and flourish. Quality child care is not about warehousing children, said Joann Bousquet, the current executive director of Hi-Hello Child Care Center. We work hard to assure that our care is superior and that our staff is well trained. Training is important in order to provide our children with a developmentally appropriate experience.

With the emphasis on special education getting stronger by the day, how does Hi-Hello Child Care Center handle children that are below normal developmental range? When you work with children, you can see the differences in ability levels. Normal incorporates a wide range of behaviors and a child who does not respond within that range sends up a red flag. When we detect a difference in a child's development, we immediately get the families involved in the intervention process. Our goal is to help children reach their personal milestones. We try to equip them for their future school experience, both socially and educationally. Early intervention helps to prepare these children for school and for life.

What makes Hi-Hello different from other child-care facilities? There are a number of distinctive features about Hi-Hello. Each classroom has its own developmentally appropriate playground, addressing the children's physical development. We also offer an inclusion class of four-year-olds, where typically developing children and special needs children work together. The typically developing children learn tolerance and understanding, while the special needs children learn new behaviors and how to handle themselves emotionally in certain circumstances. It's the future of special education. We also stand out because we are accredited by the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAYEC). Only 12 percent of the child-care programs on Long Island are accredited.

What kinds of training programs do you provide for your staff? Training is vital to maintain quality child care programming. We host a training institute that offers staff development workshops for our own staff as well as to child-care professionals from all over Long Island. We hold three training events per year at the Freeport High School. We invite a number of professionals, including doctors, nurses, certified social workers, career educators and teachers from many disciplines to share their expertise. There is a wide range of topics covered in the training institute in order to fulfill our NY State requirements. We are very proud of the institute because it extends our sphere of educational influence beyond the 146 children here at Hi-Hello. It touches children from all over Long Island. We train close to 1000 child-care providers per year and approximately 6,500 children are affected by this training.

What sort of programming do you have for the older children at Hi- Hello? During the school year, our school-agers come here before and after school. They receive assistance with homework, interact with one another, and have time to do art or music or use a computer; something to allow them to relax after their schoolwork is complete. The personal attention is important and we provide that for them until their parents come home from work. During the summer, they're with us all day and participate in a schedule full of trips, swimming and fun activities.

It is often believed that day-care centers are chosen for convenience as opposed to quality. What is your view on this? We try to assist parents in selecting a quality child care program. It is a major decision that has an enormous effect on the lives of their children. As educators, we often encourage the children to do their homework, but this is one instance where it is essential that the parents do their homework. Parents need to ask questions, observe the child-care facility, ask to see their license, and see if it is adequately equipped for your child. Does it sound, smell, and look right? It may be the most convenient place, but if you are not comfortable with the services they offer, it may not be the right place for your child.

What do you see in the future of Hi-Hello? Numbers have dropped significantly in child care and we are always searching for new ways to service our community. We would like to expand our training institute to offer better service to Long Island children and families. Businesses need to support the children in their communities because a large majority of their workforce has children in child care. It would be in their best interest to know their employee's kids are safe, happy, and well cared for in a quality environment. The children are our future, let's invest in them.

Hi-Hello Child Care Center

Address: 212 South Ocean Avenue, Freeport, NY 11520

Executive Director: Joann D. Bousquet

Phone: (516) 379-1825

Web site: www.hihellochildcare.org

Founded: 1968

Staff: 53

Annual Budget: $1,700,000

Fundraised Budget: $146,000

Program Services: 89 percent

Source: Long Island Business News

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