SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE
The UC Berkeley Early Childhood Education Program gives priority to low-income students who qualify for California Department of Education subsidies (free or sliding-scale) and who also meet need eligibility requirements. See ECEP’s Application and Instructions for Subsidized Services for more information: LINK - Application for Child Care.

FULL FEE CHILD CARE
In addition to subsidized spaces, a number of full fee slots have been reserved for student families. Early applications are advisable. Many families apply within a few months after their child's birth, or before they move to the area. Applications for infant spaces can be initiated during pregnancy, but you must contact our office after the birth to verify name, gender, and birth date for the application to remain valid. Most children who are accepted will enroll at the start of the fall semester (mid-August). Limited spaces may become available throughout the year.

If accepted, a $500.00 nonrefundable deposit is required, but it is applied to the first month's fees. For the 2009-2010 academic year, fees for non-subsidized/full-fee families (students, post-docs, visiting scholars, staff, faculty) are expected to be $1815 per month for care in infant rooms, $1660 per month in toddler rooms, and $1375 per month for preschool. After-school care is $6.00 per hour.

Your child's Medical Form, need not be submitted at the time of application, but will be required upon notification of acceptance to the program. You may want to schedule an appointment with your child's physician for completion of the medical form if you have not already done so.
The same guidelines for scheduling, parent participation and hours of care apply. Aside from the selection process, the program is identical for full fee and subsidized families.

ACCEPTANCE TO THE PROGRAM
Admission can be offered at any time, though most acceptance offers for student families occur between early June and August. Initial acceptances are made on the basis of information on your application, the age of your child, and the vacant spaces in each classroom. Once you have been notified of your tentative acceptance, you will be scheduled for an intake interview to determine final admission. At that time, if you have not already done so, you will be required to submit your child's medical form. You will also be scheduled for a visit to the center your child will be attending to meet with the Teacher or Site Coordinator to discuss the center's policies and to schedule your child care hours for the upcoming semester.

BEFORE YOUR CHILD ENTERS THE PROGRAM,
the following must be on file with the Early Childhood Education Programs Office:

1. A completed confidential application for Child Care
2. Current income verification (for subsidized care only)
3. Child's Medical Form (completed by a physician)
4. Training Verification form (for subsidized care only)
5. Proof of current UCB Registration
6. Child's Birth Certificate
7. Child’s Immunization Record

HOURS OF CARE
Families are generally offered 5 full days of care from 9:00 am - 5:30 pm. Also offered on a space available basis is 7:45 am - 9:00 am, with the following exceptions: The Infant-Toddler Program may offer only half-day care or 9:00 am – 4:00 pm child care; and the after-school (K2) program offers afternoon care (closing at 5:30 pm) for a minimum of three days a week. In all cases, scheduling of hours is done with a Site Coordinator, or Program Manager at the center.

PARENT PARTICIPATION
Student parents are expected to work in the centers at least one hour each week in a variety of roles. They assist in classroom activities / field trips, participate in the operation of the food program, and serve on the Parent Advisory Committee.

WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT ACCEPTED?
There is a great demand for our services, particularly for infants and young toddlers, and unfortunately we are not able to serve all families applying for care. If you are eligible for subsidized care but are not accepted into the program due to space limitations, low priority number or late application, you will be placed on an Eligibility List and called when a vacancy in an age appropriate center occurs for which your child is eligible. Status on the Eligibility List is based on income and unlike a waiting list your status does not automatically improve over time.

All applications are reviewed according to State Eligibility Guidelines as they are submitted and the Eligibility List is updated accordingly. It is your responsibility to inform the Early Childhood Education Programs Office if there is a change in your income, family size, activity of either parent or if you want your application withdrawn from the list.

Although the majority of new acceptances are for enrollment in the Fall semester, any vacancies which occur during the year will be filled from the Wait List applicants. Enrollment is possible at any time, though most calls about acceptance for student families occur between early June and August.
We do not maintain a list of referrals, but a couple of alternatives you may wish to look into are the Berkeley Unified Child Development Center 644-6203, Albany Children's Center 559-6590 and Bananas 658-0381 www.bananasinc.org.

University of California, Berkeley Early Childhood Education Program does not discriminate in its admission policies against any child because of race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, religion, color, or ethnic background. We serve within the limits of our professional abilities children with special needs (physical, linguistic, mental and/or emotional).
We ensure that all family records are kept confidential.

ABOUT OUR CENTERS
Four of our centers operate year round and four centers operate on an academic calendar. Our ‘Academic Year Centers’ (Infant-Toddler Center, Girton Hall, and Anna Head Preschool) close between late May and late August, and are also closed for 3-4 weeks during Winter Break. The K-2 After School Center follows the Berkeley Unified School District calendar. These centers are accredited by NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The ‘Year Round Centers’ (Haste Street Center, Child Study Center, Clark Kerr Infant Center, and Clark Kerr Preschool) are closed for a few days in August, and about 2 weeks between the fall and spring semesters, December - January. Student families enrolling at these centers must have a need for year-round child care and may be required to pay higher fees. Students receiving state subsidy must demonstrate income eligibility and need for a year-round program – parent/s enrolled in summer school or working full-time.
Our nationally accredited (NAEYC) Infant-Toddler Center is located at 2340 Durant Ave. Our primary goal as teachers of infants is to enhance in each child a sense of trust and security by giving consistent, observant and respectful care. Establishing trust and providing security is a crucial first step towards infants' development.

Toddlers are also served at Anna Head Annex, 2537 Haste Street, and at the Haste Street Child Development Center. Our Haste Street Child Development Center, located at 2339 Haste Street, serves infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. This new cutting-edge facility - winner of a UC/CSU award for Best Integrated Design Process - features six classrooms with ample outdoor play yards for each room.  A play-based developmental curriculum appropriate for each age group is in place.

Additional pre-school classrooms are at Anna Head on Haste Street, the Clark Kerr Preschool, located at 2900 Dwight Way, the Child Study Center, located at 2425 Atherton Street, and at Girton Hall, on central campus. Developmentally appropriate and educational experiences are offered to the young children in our care at these nationally accredited centers (National Association for the Education of Young Children).

Our after-school program, K-2, is located at 2601 Warring St, on the Clark Kerr Campus. Children attend this program in the afternoons. Kindergartens, 1st and 2nd graders enjoy art and free play activities after a rigorous day in the school classroom. There is also an opportunity for them to do homework as well as socialize. On some public school holidays the after-school program is open full time, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.

All of our programs serve breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack (with the exception of the after-school program which serves an afternoon snack). Meals are prepared in accordance with the Child Care Food Program guidelines ensuring well balanced meals.  Though our program is not Certified Organic, we do our best to offer sustainable items including whole grains and as many organic and natural options as possible such as organic milk, cheese, eggs and healthy seasonal fruits and vegetables. Menus are posted at each center so parents can see what's good to eat.

OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our centers strive to provide a warm, challenging environment that attends to the emotional, physical and educational growth of each child. To this end, we provide an atmosphere of respect for the individual child, in a warm, safe and clean supervised environment. Developing a sense of trust and well being, while encouraging each child's natural curiosity and desire to learn, is achieved through a variety of enjoyable and interesting age appropriate activities.

The ECEP follows a play based curriculum model which incorporates both teacher initiated and child initiated activities as well as small/large group activities. We feel that a child-centered program is most appropriate for children in our infant, toddler, preschool and after school programs. Our classrooms provide rich learning environments with age-appropriate yet challenging play equipment and materials, learning centers that encourage exploration and discovery, discussion, and child and adult interaction.
Teachers plan activities based on children’s interests and our goals for their learning of content and skills. These activities center around physical, social, cognitive and emotional stages of development (including Kindergarten readiness skills for the children to help them as they prepare for Kindergarten in the public schools).

The direct partnership between parents and teachers is essential in successfully attaining these goals. Parents have a right to know what their child is doing at school and to be involved in the life of the program. Parents are encouraged to make arrangements to visit the centers before their child starts to get a first hand look at the children and staff in action.