Saint Andrew's Children's Center

• Ideal operating hours for working families (6:30 am-6:00 pm)
• Variable scheduling possibilities
• Tuition discounts and incentives
• Monthly festive family events where you will form lasting memories and friendships with other families
• Monthly parent seminar series
• Bi-annual parent teacher conferences to discuss your child’s progress
• Desired Results Developmental Profile shared twice a year to inform parents about their child’s progress in areas such as learning, getting along with others and being safe and healthy
• Developmental screenings (Ages and Stages) shared with parents
• Daily communication in the infant/toddler program including notes sent home about each child’s daily activities
• A safe and secure environment with center entry made via key pads on all entry gates
• The knowledge that you are leaving your child in a safe and secure center where children thrive and families matter

• Special events and activities geared towards all children
• Specialized learning academies emphasizing art, music, dance, yoga, computer, fitness, sports (soccer), cooking and gardening
• Nutritious home cooked meals prepared by a full time on-site cook
• Meals and snacks that contain many organic items including milk, meat, pasta and veggies
• Annual height, weight, dental, vision and hearing screenings performed for all children 2 years and above
• Developmental screenings addressing the whole spectrum of the child’s development are available upon parental request
• A superior curriculum addressing the “Whole Child” including social-emotional, cognitive, & physical development

Providing a safe and secure campus is taken very seriously at Saint Andrew’s. The entire perimeter of the children’s center is fenced and gates are armed with security key pads. Center staff are trained in emergency preparedness by the Irvine Police Department. Additionally, each teaching team member maintains a current CPR-First Aid certificate and is trained in epi pen administration. Disaster preparedness is done on an annual basis.

Saint Andrew’s Children’s Center has proudly provided quality child development and family services to residents of Irvine and surrounding communities since 1985. The center’s popularity grew rapidly soon after it opened its doors. The need for additional quality child development services in the area quickly became apparent so Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church decided to build a large child development center serving children from 6 weeks through 5 years of age. In 1997 Saint Andrew’s Children’s Center opened a beautiful 15 classroom center.

The Children’s Center is an integral mission of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. The Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The Board of Directors meets monthly to approve policy, review the financial statements, and oversee program operations.

• Our Center was given the 2012 Best of Irvine Award
• Saint Andrew's Children's Center is certified by the Episcopal Commission on Schools of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
• Our Center is currently in the process of working towards accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
• Meals and snacks that contain many organic items including milk, meat, pasta and veggies
• Collaborative relationships with community agencies enrich our children’s program
• Saint Andrew’s in certified as an authorized Baby Signs® Program. All staff at the center are trained in this scientifically based program that is proven to be beneficial for children and parents. Short and long term results include making learning to talk easier, reducing tears, tantrums and frustration, a strengthening of the parent-child bond, a boosting of self-esteem and self-confidence and a stimulation of intellectual development. Baby Signs Products are sold at our Center.

Saint Andrew’s Children’s Center staff are all teacher qualified. The majority of our staff have college degrees or are in the process of fulfilling their course requirements for degree completion. All teaching staff completed the required college level child development classes and therefore fully meet the requirements of Community Care Licensing to teach in preschools. Many of our staff maintain teaching credentials issued by the California Department of Education.

• All teaching teams are trained in disaster preparedness and additionally possess current First Aid & CPR certificates.
• Teachers have also been trained in the High Scope Curriculum by a well recognized High Scope trainer and have ongoing access to High Scope support and training.
• Preschool staff are trained in Zoo-phonics® and utilize this program.
• Center staff are trained in the Baby Signs Program®. Baby Signs is used daily on the infant/toddler side of our campus and is also used in our preschool program. All Saint Andrew’s staff are trained in the Baby Signs Program®.
• Infant/toddler staff are trained in Primary Infant Toddler Caregiving in by West Ed. West Ed is contracted by the California Department of Education to provide quality training and technical assistance to California’s school system, Pre-k through 12th grade.
• Teaching teams have been trained in behavioral management by CUIDAR, CHOC-UCI Initiative for the Development of Attention and Readiness. Teachers and staff learned effective solutions to common behavior challenges. Our warm and responsive teaching teams are sensitive to each child’s needs.

Our Center maintains an open door policy for all parents, guardians, or designated persons. Parents and family are always enthusiastically welcomed throughout the day by center staff. Research has shown that children who have actively involved parents, tend to have higher levels of self-esteem and feelings of internal self control and ability. At our center, staff and parents partner in a circle of care around children. At Saint Andrew’s, families matter!

Saint Andrew's Children's Center is committed to meeting the individual needs of each child in a nurturing environment which welcomes children and families of all faiths and cultures.

Center staff believe that parents are the first and most important teachers of their own children. Staff work with parents as partners while focusing on the emotional, social, physical, and intellectual growth of each child.

Our teaching teams strive to create a loving and nurturing environment which helps to instill a lifelong enthusiasm for learning. We believe that children are born with a natural curiosity about their world. Babies have an innate joy of learning that is evident even at birth. As children grow they continue to explore their world and to learn. Our particular curriculum aids them to become well-adjusted, joyful, successful learners.

Staff believe that children learn best when given many opportunities to explore and interact with their environment and that play is an essential part of that process. We believe that learning should be fun and that children learn best by doing and making choices. Center staff honor the belief that “Children’s play is their work.”

Staff realize that all children progress through a series of different stages of development. Although children progress through the same stages of development, their rate of development in each area is unique to the specific child. Teaching staff value children as individuals and maintain classroom activities that provide challenges for each child.