La Salle University - Explorer Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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A Happy Place Have you ever seen a group of di- minutive boys and girls crossing cam- pus and thought, Gee, the Freshmen lool younger every year? Well you may have just been witnessing on out- ing by the children of Building Blocl s. Since the child development center is located at 2103 Clarl son Avenue, La Salle students are often treated to the bright faces and gleeful voices of the children as they play in Building Blocks ' yard or tal e a walk through the neigh- borhood, Building Blocks Child Development Center was founded ten years ago by a committee of faculty and students as a cooperative endeavor. Today, the community-based agency provides quality child care for fifty toddler and preschool children. Ranging in age from eighteen months to five and a half years, they include the children of community residents and employees of Germantown and Einstein Hospitals, as well as the children of La Salle stu- dents, faculty and staff. Building Blocks provides its vital services year-round, with students attending full or half days. A regular preschool developmental program is scheduled for each morning in order to better equip the children to enter kindergarten. The children spend the remainder of each day in directed activities with Building Blocks staff members. These activities include painting, show and tell, nature study and birthday parties. Building Blocks is an independent, non-profit child care agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and sponsored by the La Salle College community. The cen- ter is directed by Betty Barry, GNSH, and governed by a Board of Directors comprised of staff members, parents, 22

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L.S.C. Cheerleaders enthusiastically supply time-out entertainment Steve Black follows through after driving the lane. Be- cause of his talent and youth, Steve ploys on integral role in the team ' s future, Janice Olszewski penetrates the Georgetown de- fense for definite two. 21

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John Geary, Jr. demonstrates his acrobatic abili- ty while climbing the monkey-bors A preschool developmental program is sched- uled for each morning in order to better prepare the children for kindergarten. Assistant Caregiver Sharon Brown helps Raphael Michelman, Dai Reed, Taneka Young, and Sam Landau learn how to follow directions, a skill necessary for suc- cess in later years, as they play Simon Soys The members oi Building Blocks ' staff are encour- aged to attend monthly in-service training ses- sions that are offered. These classes come in handy for staff members such as Principal Care- giver Adela Flynn, who has her hands full taking care of Rahad Coulter-Stevenson and Kylin Mettler i-Jir ' Tii and representatives from community institutions, such as La Salle. Director Barry, who received a Bachelors De- gree in Elementary Education from Gvk ' ynedd Mercy College and a Mas- ters Degree in Early Childhood Educa- tion from Temple University, gained ten years of classroom experience before making the transition to administrative v ork. In addition to its child care functions. Building Blocks also serves as a profes- sional center, providing valuable train- ing and research opportunities for stu- dents and professionals in the fields of education, social work, psychology. and nursing. The member s of Building Blocks ' staff are themselves encour- aged to take courses, and monthly in- service training sessions are offered. Support programs are also available for the parents of Building Blocks ' stu- dents. Individual conferences ore held between parents and teachers twice yearly, and guest speakers ore periodi- cally brought in to speak on appropri- ate topics, such as language develop- ment in the preschool child. In addition. Building Blocks is currently rebuilding its parent library, which was destroyed in the fire of the summer of 1981, The special ability of Building Blocks ' students and their families to shore their rich and diverse cultural heritage is one of the greatest assets of the center. Fundamental to Building Blocks ' ap- proach is a belief in the importance and uniqueness of each child. The cen- ter hopes to create an atmosphere in which the children ore nurtured, where they can feel both protected and loved. Director Betty Barry best sums up the philosophy of Building Blocks as she simply states: We want Building Blocks to be a happy place, Joanne Kelly 23