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Powers & Kirchner Child Development Center Logo

  

The Powers & Kirchner Child Development Center (SWTX Daycare) provides a positive and developmentally appropriate environment for your child to thrive!  The center provides services for children from infants to 12 years. Parents are always free to visit the center at any time, we look forward to getting to know all of our families. 

Contact:

Christine M. Chapoy
Child Development Center Director
130 Marsh Lane, Uvalde, TX 78801
(830) 591-2590

License # 538225

Hours of Operation:

Monday - Friday
7:30 am - 5:30 pm 


History

The Powers and Kirchner Hall Child Development Center is a 5,800 square feet facility that was partially financed by the $200,000 gift from Mr. F.B. Kirchner who ranched in Edwards County. Mrs. Mary B. Powers who was Mr. Kirchner’s mother, willed SWTJC $5,000 for beautification and landscaping the grounds around the building. The licensed facility has space for 64 students and contains a classroom and observation sites for students enrolled in the child development program.

Philosophy

The Child Development Center welcomes all families without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or disability.  The programs of the center were developed from a common desire for excellence in meeting the needs of children and their families.  All of the programs are designed to nurture relationships, promote understanding of the child’s world and enhance development.  The center staff will develop individual goals and objectives for each child within the context of the principles.

We Believe:

  • That the home is the most important factor in a child’s development.  We will always strive to support and complement the family in order to promote healthy development of children and parents.
  • That loving, trusting and respecting each child makes that child capable of loving, trusting and respecting others.
  • That each child should be helped to have a positive self-image.
  • That it is important to meet each child’s needs for physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth.
  • That the needs of children change as they grow; that programs must respond in content and structure by using the best techniques and current research in human development.
  • That children deserve a nurturing, safe and happy environment which promotes their natural curiosity and desire to learn.
  • That children deserve to have teachers who are capable and caring and whose values enable them to be excellent role models.

Purpose

The primary purpose of The Child Development Center is to serve as an educational and observational facility for the provision of high quality care and educational services to the children of SWTJC students and employees.  The center will also enhance the Child Development, Nursing and Management programs.  Child Development students will utilize the center to study child growth and development and gain experience working with young children.  Nursing students will utilize the center to conduct developmental assessments and Management students will gain workplace experience.  All students will receive guidance from the professional staff that plan and conduct the educational program.

Curriculum

The curriculum provides for all areas of a child’s development (physical, social, emotional and cognitive) based on the teacher’s observations and recordings of each child’s special interests and developmental progress.  The curriculum emphasizes learning as an interactive process.  In accordance with these concepts, the environment is prepared for children to learn through active exploration and interaction with adults, other children and materials.

Teachers facilitate children’s development through:

  • Developmental assessments to guide the planned activities.
  • Activities and materials that is concrete, real and relevant to the lives of young children.
  • Activities to explore with all the senses.
  • Activities and an environment that stimulate thinking, problem solving and experimenting.
  • Activities that help encourage fine and gross motor skills.
  • Activities in the areas of art, music and sensory experiences.
  • Promotion of healthy and safe habits.
  • Encouragement of self-help skills.
  • Language stimulation which is incorporated in all daily activities.
  • Opportunities for imaginative play and creative expression.
  • Activities that increase in difficulty and complexity as children develop understanding and skills.
  • The provision of multicultural and unbiased experiences, materials and equipment.
  • The use of questions and suggestions to extend and stimulate each child’s learning.
  • The provision of daily outdoor activities.
  • The provision of gross motor activities on bad weather days.
  • The arrangement of the environment which is designed for young children to use with little or no adult assistance.
  • The provision of a child-oriented program that recognizes children respond best while they have fun.
  • Classrooms that are divided into center offering different types of developmental activities for children to choose.

Teachers communicate their respect for children in the following ways;

  • Teachers provide many opportunities for children to develop their communication skills through one-on-one and group experiences.  Adults carefully listen to each child.
  • Teachers use a gentle, pleasant tone; simple phrases and words easily understood by the children.
  • Teachers explain the day-to-day activities and routine before, during and after each occurrence to provide a clearer, confident understanding of what is happening.

Teachers assist children in making a smooth transition between home and childcare and from group to group.


Childcare Fees

New Daily Rates Effective October 1, 2023

Childcare Daily Rates
Infant (0 - 17 months)  
Full-time (6 hours or more) $35/daily
Part-time (5.5 hours) No Part-time Care
Toddler (18 months - 2 years)  
Full-time (6 hours or more) $32/daily
Part-time (5.5 hours) $30/daily
Preschool (3 - 4 years)  
Full-time (6 hours or more) $32/daily
Part-time (5.5 hours) $30/daily
School Age (6 - 12 years)  
Full-time (6 hours or more) $28/daily
Part-time (5.5 hours) $25/daily

Part-time is only 5.5 hours a day; anything over that is considered full-time. Reminder: private pay parents, payments are due every Monday. CCPS parents are due on the 1st and 15th of each month, or you can pay for everything on the 1st.


Payments

Payments to "Southwest Texas Junior College" may be made by check or money order.  There is a $25 charge for returned checks. 

Closures

Holidays/Teacher in-service days

The center provides services for children from birth to 12 years. Parents are always free to visit the center at any time, we look forward to getting to know all of our families. 

  • New Year's Day
  • One week for Spring Break
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving (two days)
  • One week for Christmas

Discrimination Policy

The Child Development Center welcomes all families without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability. We will accommodate to provide services to any child with disabilities.