30th Anniversary Celebration

NCCDC is reaching out to current and former students and their families, teachers, and staff for a 30th Anniversary party and reunion. We are also inviting the neighborhood by posting our party on announcements on community boards all over Portland.

We are closing off Hancock Street and having a Carnival themed block party in the street and in the Church parking lot.

• What: A carnival style outdoor celebration of our 30th anniversary.
• When: Saturday, August 6, 2011 from 10 - 2
• Where: In front of NCCDC at NE 16th Avenue and Hancock Street.

We will be renting bouncy houses and creating carnival games for kids and grown-ups to play. We are recruiting food carts, musicians, balloon artists and face painters to come and join the fun. Activities may also include:

• Scooter obstacle course
• Hula hoop making and decorating
• Beach Lounge
• Cake Walk
• Time Capsule

Memory Lane - Help us with our institutional memory. We will be posting old pictures from NCCDC at the party. We would love to get photos or written memories from each family that attended NCCDC. Families can scan their pictures and upload them to our website. www.pdxchild.org

For Questions please contact the Party Committee:
Cori Jacobs, Anne Savery, Luci Hise and Amanda Luell - NCCDCanniv@yahoo.com

History

Our child centered care and education cooperative opened its doors in 1981 in service to employees of Multnomah County. Founders of the Multnomah Community Child Development (MCCDC), including County Commissioner Earl Blumenauer, secured a grant to provide a unique approach to full day care for children - a cooperative. Parents were to partner with a part-time teacher and provide a learning environment for their and their co-workers children. Each family was expected to work in the classroom, providing care and educational opportunities each week.

Westminster Presbyterian Church has always served as the home to our cooperative. MCCDC was originally located in the basement and in the 1990's the center moved into its current location. In the late 1990's the center became an independent nonprofit and the name changed to NCCDC. As time went on, the center evolved from a parent-led approach to hiring educators and directors with an emphasis in education. Family involvement is currently structured into shifts where parents lead or participate in classroom activities, perform community jobs such as making art supplies or doing laundry, volunteer in the office, write the newsletter, or volunteer on the Board of Directors. Parents have installed the playground in the center courtyard and work to maintain the interior of the classrooms and kitchen.

Our families have sought out a cooperative learning center for their children. Our shared philosophy embraces the concepts that children come first, learning should be playful, and that children are positively influenced by a diverse community of caring, respectful adults and children. Together, we participate in extracurricular activities such as a summer camping trip, field trips to farms, picnics and pool parties.

NCCDC offers a Toddler Room and a Preschool Program. The teachers practice a child-led, play-based curriculum in a rich and varied environment. Children have free play, art, music and outdoor play times every day. We believe that children learn best through play. Our approach allows children to explore at their own pace and according to their own interests. Each month's activities are organized around a theme. Art, science, toys, tactile opportunities, cooking, songs and imaginative play are planned to support that theme. For example, in the month of May, the Preschoolers focused on the food, art and culture of Japan. At the end of the month, the children put on four plays centered on Japanese folk tales. During the course of the month, the children and teachers created the scenery for the stage, made costumes, made tickets and play bills and learned their roles. They performed for the younger children in the program, teachers and parents.

Photos

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