Campus View day care ranks high in evaluation

As one toddler banged a mallet on a plastic pane, another covered his ears to show his distaste. His teacher, Jennifer Addleman, helped him express his feelings to his classmate.

“Tell him it’s too loud,” she said.

With her encouragement, the two pre-preschool-aged boys found a solution more sensible than most adult compromises: They just found something else to bang on.

This classroom at the Campus View Child Care Center is one of several classrooms
dedicated to caring for children younger than three years old whose parents are IU students, faculty or staff.

The Center was recently reaccredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

“It’s a measure of the dedication of the staff,” Director Linda Fields said.

Fields explained that the accreditation process asks for a snapshot of daily activities, teaching methods, curriculum and self-evaluations.

There are 10 grading criteria, and the Center scored full points on all of them.
In fact, they were above 100 percent in half the criteria, indicating they meet new and emerging standards as well.

A look around one of the “older, 2-year-old” classrooms shows just what’s different about this place.

A sensory table filled with sand and toys takes up a corner of the room, and on the far wall are examples of Chinese calligraphy painted by students.

A parent communication board shows the day’s pictures —today, toddlers on sleds — which will be sent via e-mail to parents.

Most of the students are bilingual, Addleman said, and the two-teacher team in each classroom does as much as possible to embrace this.

Posters on the walls show words in four languages, and between them, teachers have a working knowledge of Romanian, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish and Russian, Addleman said.The teaching here is cyclical.

Teachers begin with infants, to whom they teach baby sign language and rock to sleep, and follow the children as they ascend to higher grades.

Addleman and her co-worker Samantha Sisk have been with some of children in their classroom since infancy.

Addleman said this connection with children and families is one of the most rewarding parts of her job. She said parents who have left the Center have often returned to give her positive feedback.

“We are the bar that they measure these other experiences by,” Addleman said. “It feels good to be the ruler.”

Sara Washburn has brought her son Harrison to the Center since he was an infant.
She said the connections with his teachers have made his transition from one class to another much smoother.

“He’s very bonded with his teachers,” Washburn said.

The University’s relationship with the Center makes it easier for teachers to achieve their personal goals.

Master’s classes in education are paid for by the University, meaning teachers are privy to the latest emerging methods in early childhood education.

“We just think it’s the best program in Bloomington,” Washburn said.