Westfield Day Care Center
A learning center since 1968.
Welcome
The Westfield Day Care Center is a NAEYC Accredited early childhood educational facility and one of New Jersey’s oldest not-for-profit child care facilities. We are located in historic downtown Westfield, overlooking beautiful Mindowaskin Park.
Our Mission is to provide affordable, quality early learning and child care in a safe and nurturing environment where children have the opportunity to develop their social, emotional, physical, and intellectual skills and where parents become partners with the teachers, forming a collaborative relationship, essential to the success of meeting the children’s needs. Children will be served regardless of race, religious affiliation, or socio-economic status.
Our History
The Center's history goes back over fifty years when in 1968, a small daycare was created by a steering committee of members of the Church United and members of the Community Center, who noticed there was a need for childcare in the Westfield area. It started out as a small school located at the Madison Avenue Chapel with just one classroom and 15 children.
At the same time a sliding scale tuition was established and continues to be the main focus of Westfield Day Care Center’s mission. By the early 1970’s WDCC started expanding to the Presbyterian Church on Mountain Avenue and Full Day Kindergarten was added. By 1980 all classes were located in this location. In 1983 an infant-toddler center was also opened on W. Broad Street and was in operation until 2003.
Our Programs
Our programs are designed for children aged 2 1/2 years old through kindergarten. We are NAEYC accredited and participate with Grow NJ Kids. We have adopted the Highscope curriculum for our toddler through Pre-K program. We follow the Westfield Public School district kindergarten curriculum.
Our Teachers & Staff
Our classrooms are led by dedicated, certified or credentialed teachers, some with advanced degrees. A credentialed teaching assistant (or assistant teacher) works in each classroom. Part-time aides also help to keep the student-teacher ratio low.