Our Philosophy
The Sieda Child Development Center believes a strong education foundation is the key to long-term success. Sieda Community Action works to provide a strong early childhood education foundation. A major determinant of program quality is the extent to which knowledge of child development is applied to program practices which are both age appropriate and individually appropriate.
In a developmental program, children’s interests and skills guide curriculum planning. A child’s primary mode of learning should be through play; therefore, we believe that the process of learning is more important than the content of learning.
Consistent, understandable limits for children, as well as staff who respond to inappropriate behavior with insight, sensitivity, and skill are the foundation of our guidance and discipline philosophy. This allows children to become increasingly responsible for themselves and to understand inappropriate behavior and how to modify it.
We believe parents are the most significant adults in a child’s life and therefore do everything possible to insure parents’ involvement with our program. Developing strategies for keeping communication flowing freely is part of each staff member’s responsibility.
What You Need to Apply
- Proof of income for at least 12 previous months (copy of pay stub, taxes, W-2, letter from employer, FIP, or other form of verification).
- Birth dates and/or Social Security numbers for all family members in the house.
Forms
Why Should Sieda Be Your First Choice?
Sieda Community Action has providing preschool and early childhood education for nearly 60 years. The Sieda Child Development Center is licensed by the Iowa Department of Human Services, assuring that the Center meets all appropriate health and safety standards. The facility is inspected annually by the fire inspector and childcare licensing authority.
The Center’s staff is composed of an on-site Center Coordinator, Child Care Specialists, and Child Care Assistants. Each classroom is staffed by at least one Child Care Specialist who is responsible for the classroom planning and supervision of the children. They work in tandem with Child Care Assistants to address the developmental needs of children in our care. We do our best to ensure Child Care Assistants are responsible for the same group of children to provide consistency in the classroom. We believe it is important for your child to see the same faces each day as their caregivers.
Child Care Specialists are required to obtain and maintain a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential that requires ongoing Continuing Education Units (CEUs). All staff will complete required training hours annually, per Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Child Care Center regulations and program performance, certification in First Aid, CPR, Universal Precautions and Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse. All staff must complete annual child care related training and participate in ongoing, in-service education.
Our Curriculum
The curriculum at the Sieda Child Development Center is designed to meet the needs, interests, and abilities of each child, and is based on developmentally appropriate practices. The Creative Curriculum offers diverse activity choices within the framework of a predictable daily schedule while remaining flexible. The schedule is balanced to provide for alternating blocks of vigorous and quiet activity.
Infants
The activities for our infants (6 weeks to 12 months) foster healthy social and emotional development, as well as language acquisition and motor control. Young infants are fed on demand and the staff collaborates with parents to maintain the child’s home schedule at the Center. Older infants (13-18 months) follow a flexible schedule of mealtime(s), playtimes(s), and naptime(s).
Toddlers
Our toddler (18-36 months) curriculum builds on the skills already acquired and moves toward independence. Problem solving, understanding abstract concepts, beginning toileting, and cooperation are introduced. The child’s language development is the key objective at this level.
Contact us for enrollment information
641-682-8741 or 1-800-622-8340 or siedacdc@sieda.org