By MSpen October 02, 2015
Dirty and Broken! Does that sound good to you? Well, welcome to Gold's Gym at 4404 W. William Cannon in Austin, TX. Start by parking in the dark parking lot, then open the door and walk into the aroma of your new gym. Features? Oh yeah, they got em'. You'll pay for broken equipment, filthy restrooms/locker rooms, and no extra charge for the break-ins (that's right, the locker break-ins. Leave your wallet in your car in the dark parking lot). Now it can be disappointing in that every once in a while they will actually fix the equipment, but thankfully they have NO concept of preventative maintenance so it will break again. ...read more
By MelissaSivley March 24, 2015
I did not have a good experience with them my daughter came home on multiple occasions with bite marks or scratches that were not in any report, and when asked they could not account for when it happens as no one saw and after coming to pick her up its easy to believe as I witnessed kids in the playground throwing rocks at each other while to teachers/ caretakers chatted away with backs turned on the kids. Needless to say we did not return our daughter to their facility and they still charged us for 3 weeks that she was not there for after addressing our concerns which fell on deaf ears. We attempted to fight the charge as any unhappy parent would since we were only pulling her from their care since we felt they were incompetent in their care, but ended up paying as it is in their contract that you have to give notice 2 weeks prior to leaving so no service rendered but I was still obligated to pay. Even after paying which by the way they were quick to send to collections as in not even a month passed while we were still in contact and disputing the charges. I still have a collection agency calling even though we paid they never bothered to report the debt paid. ...read more
By Anonymous October 02, 2014
My child loves Mrs. Tee daycare and the staff. The daycare is very clean, the workers are great, the smell of the daycare is GREAT and I love the projects every week. I would recommend this daycare to all of my friends. ...read more
Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church is a Christian church. This means that we hold to the core beliefs of the Christian faith: Transformed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, WHPC will be a Christ-centered community of faith that intentionally nurtures rela Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church 7127 Bee Caves Road Austin, TX 78746 Phone: 5123271116 Contact Email: whpc@whpc.org Website: whpc.org Keywords: Presbyterian Church, Children ministry, life groups, Mission work, youth work ...read more
By Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church August 12, 2014
We have added camp sessions for kids 5-8. They will have their own adventures each day, and the 8 year olds have the choice of being with this group or with kids in the 8-15 group. Each day there is a field trip, along with time spent at our 22 acre farm in the country, where we have a swimming pool, games and nature activities. ...read more
By Wet & Wild Adventure Camp April 15, 2011
For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children. It's an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions and begin the foundation for learning that will occur in elementary school. Preschool Prepares Children for Kindergarten As kindergarten becomes more academic, many parents look to preschool to launch their child on the path to success in school. At the same time, parents may worry that the current trend to focus on pre-math and pre-literacy skills in preschool cuts into important play time and pushes a child to grow up too fast. It's a confusing issue,especially with friends and family offering different opinions and advice. Fortunately, in selecting a preschool, parents aren't forced to choose between protecting a child's play time and making sure she's ready for kindergarten. A high-quality early childhood education program will offer children both. But how do high-quality preschools benefit children's learning and development? And what features should parents look for in a preschool program? One answer to these questions is that the staff at high-quality preschools and child care programs understand the particular ways that young children develop and learn. And they organize space, time and activities to be in sync with children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities. Preschool Promotes Social and Emotional Development In order to learn, a young child needs to feel cared for and secure with a teacher or caregiver. A 3-year-old child is able to spend time away from parents and build trusting relationships with adults outside the family. High-quality preschool programs nurture warm relationships among children, teachers and parents. And teachers build a close personal connection with each child in their care. Children thrive when there is consistency in care between home and school. In high-quality preschools, teachers value parents as the experts on their children. Parents get daily reports on their child's activities and regular meetings are scheduled for more in-depth conferences with staff. Teachers strive to understand and respect parents' child-rearing goals and values. Young children learn social skills and emotional self-control in "real time." Three- and 4-year-olds learn through their experiencesand good teachers make time for those "teachable moments" when they can help children learn to manage frustrations or anger. They don't automatically step in to resolve children's conflicts for them; they have a well-honed sense of when to let children work out their own problems and when to intervene. Without shaming a child, they encourage her to notice the impact of her aggressive or hurtful behavior on another child. The Preschool Environment Is Structured Although It May Not Appear That Way A highly structured environment helps young children learn to make friends and play well with others. This doesn't mean there are lots of rules or that adults constantly direct children's activities. On the contrary, the structure of a high-quality preschool classroom is largely invisible to children. Classroom space is organized to encourage social interaction, and minimize congestion and conflicts. Children Learn to Take Care of Themselves and Others Children's sense of competence and self-worth grow as they learn to take care of themselves and help others. Teachers appeal to a young child's desire to engage in "real work" by offering him chances to help out in the classroom, for example, by setting the table at snack time or feeding the classroom hamster. Children are expected to wash their hands before snack time, keep personal belongings in their "cubby," and put away toys before moving to a new activity. Teachers also encourage a child to view herself as a resource for other children. For example, a teacher might ask a child who's more competent at pouring water to help a child who is learning. Or she might ask a "veteran" preschooler to show a newcomer where the sand toys are kept. Throughout their school years, much of children's learning will take place in the company of their peers. In a high-quality preschool program, children are introduced to the behaviors required to function successfully in a kindergarten classroom. For example, during group activities such as "circle time," children learn to focus attention on the teacher, listen while others are speaking, and wait their turn to talk. Preschool Promotes Language and Cognitive Skills Preschool-age children's language skills are nurtured in a "language-rich" environment. Between the ages of 3 and 5, a child's vocabulary grows from 900 to 2,500 words, and her sentences become longer and more complex. In a conversational manner, and without dominating the discussion, teachers help children stretch their language skills by asking thought-provoking questions and introducing new vocabulary during science, art, snack time, and other activities. Children have many opportunities to sing, talk about favorite read-aloud books, and act out stories. A young child's cognitive skills are strengthened by engaging in a wide range of hands-on activities that challenge her to observe closely, ask questions, test her ideas or solve a problem. However, teachers understand that preschool children are not logical in the adult sense of the word; their explanations of what makes a plant grow or why people get old, may not involve cause and effect. For example, "people get old because they have birthdays." They may rely on their senses and "magical thinking" rather than on reason to explain why wood floats in water and rocks sink - "The rock likes to be on the bottom because it's cooler." Preschool Teachers Nurture a Child's Curiosity Teachers observe, ask questions and listen to children's ideas during these activities — "correct" answers are not the goal. To nurture their curiosity and motivation to learn, teachers use children's interests and ideas to create activities. And even a simple, chance event - such as a child's discovery of a snail in the outdoor play area — can be turned into an exciting opportunity to learn. Preschool-age children have active imaginations and learn through make-believe play. Teachers know that the line between reality and fantasy is often not clear to a young child. Sometimes this results in fears of monsters under the bed. But imagination also fuels learning. For example, when a group of children creates a make-believe pet store, they will practice many social and cognitive skills as they assign roles to each child, figure out categories of pet supplies and how to organize them, make signs to label products; help their "customers" select the right shampoo or cat toy; and take "money" for merchandize. The imaginary play area in a high-quality preschool is well-stocked with costumes, "props," and child-size household items such as stoves, sinks and cupboards. It's often in this activity area that preschool-age children progress steadily from solitary play, to one-on-one play, to complicated group play. ...read more
By A Step Ahead Childcare March 10, 2010
No matter what your child’s age, every parent wants to encourage their development and help them to reach those important developmental milestones. There are several things that parents can do to help this process along whether it is gross or fine motor development. ...read more
Afterschool care is an important thing when both parents work. You want to make sure that you have the safest and best possible afterschool caregiver to take care of your children while you are working. It’s less clear how much you should pay your afterschool caregiver for watching the children.... ...read more