Dear Families,

It’s hard to believe we’re back open. It seems like we never left, but in the same breath, it feels like it’s been forever since we walked through the doors at UCDC.

The preparations needed to reopen a childcare center during a pandemic were daunting, ever-changing, and overwhelming. It seems as if the focus would be on the BIG thing (the virus), when all of the focus and energy ended up on the LITTLE things (cleaning, new routines, new roles, etc.) These “little things” in turn became the BIG things!

After many months of learning and planning, we finally opened our doors in August. To be completely honest, after all of the physical preparations of the Center and the work that went into changing the policies and procedures, you’d think we would have been prepared for the feel of the new Center. But, when we finally opened, it was extremely emotional and a little bit shocking. Seeing the child’s bins outside of the classrooms, the extra furniture and soft toys in storage, the COVID signage, and the physical distancing markers on the ground was a constant reminder that things weren’t the same and we weren’t coming back to the old UCDC.

The inability to walk into the classrooms and visit with the children was also gone. And admittedly, this was very hard! BUT, as the Education Coordinator, I am also able to view the Seesaw app in order to get a glimpse of what’s going on in the classrooms every day. This is my favorite part of my every day!!! What I witnessed through the lens of my iPhone was the fact that UCDC IS back! I was able to see the unique creativity of the teachers as the children engaged in experiments, completed art explorations and engaged in creative play. Yes, some of the classroom materials have been reduced and there aren’t as many children, but the play is rich! These teachers took our philosophy and mixed it with the new CDC standards to create a beautiful and developmentally appropriate program. The children are thriving!

And do I see the masks? I do, but they’re no longer my focus of attention. I can see the adventure, the children, the developmental appropriate activities and all the other things that makes childcare quality.

As you drive up to the Center, no longer can you walk into the building, but be assured that the same awesome activities are occurring in a safe way for these unprecedented and uncertain times.

Our amazing teachers have responded in a respectful, appropriate, safe and developmentally appropriate way. They have taken what makes UCDC unique, mixed in the new regulations, and created a valuable and engaging curriculum. The teachers are also learning so much that will stay with them forever and inform their teaching from this point forward. The less structured schedule is inviting more interactions with children and the fewer materials are strengthening the children’s creativity and therefore changing the curricular focus. Life is full of life lessons and this one is definitely teaching us so much about ourselves as educators of young children.

Finally, we couldn’t have done this without the support of YOU! The support of the families makes this so successful. Our new drop off and pick up system is SO different with SO MANY different rules. Thank you for remembering your child signs, staying in your car, remembering your face coverings and all of the other little things we’re asking to make this successful. All of these efforts assist in our ability to remain open. We understand that it’s probably hard to refrain from meeting your little one on the playground where they’re happily playing with their friends, but thank you for your restraint!

We also want to thank the families for their part in this new communication system. The inability to come into your child’s classroom is huge and we want to thank you all for being so responsive to the Zoom calls, Seesaw messages and emails. We’ve always had pride in our strong relationships with families and we want to keep it robust, regardless of the fact that we can’t see you in 3D.

As we navigate each day at UCDC, we’ve learned to pivot quickly and remain flexible while abiding by all the new regulations in order to make this work. This is definitely a learning experience and we’re happy to be in this journey with all of you!

Warmly,

Jamie Wincovitch