Child Development Center adapts to hybrid setup for classes at STC
Implementing strict safety measures, Center currently registering children for fall semester
Keeping in mind the hybrid structure established by South Texas College for the fall, STC will still offer childcare services at its Mid-Valley Campus with strict safety protocols in place for children and their parents.
As the fall semester quickly approaches, services will be made available for student-parents at the South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus Child Development Center.
Staff and faculty at the site say they have implemented stringent safety measures to protect children and parents, including electronic forms, zoom parent meetings, and temperature checks in addition to all the required sanitizing procedures as mandated by the CDC and state childcare licensing.
Registration is currently open to anyone who needs child care services including student parents, staff, faculty, and community. The Center is accepting children ahead of the fall semester. Classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 24.
“As we begin a new school year here at South Texas College Mid-Valley Child Development Center, a Nationally Accredited Program, our mission continues to be to serve as a catalyst for quality care and education for children and their families in the community,” said Veronica Rodriguez, Assistant Professor and Program Chair for Child Development and Early Childhood.
“We serve children 12 months to 5 years of age,” Rodriguez said. “If space is available, we can also serve children 5 years of age up to 12 years of age. “This helps parents who reside in school districts that are opening up face to face learning late September.
“We are all facing new challenges and uncertainties due to the COVID-19 crisis. With that in mind, we will be implementing new safety measures to ensure the well-being all children, parents, and staff here at the Mid-Valley Child Development Center."
“We are all facing new challenges and uncertainties due to the COVID-19 crisis. With that in mind, we will be implementing new safety measures to ensure the well-being all children, parents, and staff here at the Mid-Valley Child Development Center,” she said.
South Texas College is prioritizing the safety and well-being of all its students, faculty, and staff in the wake of the current COVID-19 global pandemic.
STC has recently released an instructional plan ahead of the fall 2020 semester that can be modified in the event of ever changing state or federal guidelines.
STC plans to make extensive use of technology, while preserving the most important elements of in-person required activities, through an in-person/hybrid course structure, according to college leadership.
The college will be offering approximately 20 percent of its 4,500 courses in an in-person/hybrid format, with the rest of the courses available in online format for the fall.
Even with the pandemic, Rodriguez said student-parents are still eligible for tuition and fees to be covered under the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant as long as they meet eligibility requirements
“Understanding the move STC made to offer hybrid and online classes with minimal face to face courses due to pandemic, student-parents are still eligible for tuition and fees to be covered under the CCAMPIS grant as long as they meet other eligibility requirements such as number of credits enrolled for and Pell eligibility,” Rodriguez said.