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Important Information

School Year Program

[For children ages 24 months - 6 years]

The North Room and the South Room are our two main classrooms. Each room has a head teacher along with a teaching fellow, and two to five teaching assistants. Each room has up to nineteen children. Since we are open ten hours a day, there are two shifts of head teachers with similar educational experiences which overlap during lunch and nap time.

The South Room is the main classroom for the Explorers. This group is subdivided into toddlers (24 months-33 months) and preschoolers (33 months- 50 months)

Children who are 4 by December 31 and less than 6 use the North Room and are called Thunderbirds (Ages 4 -6).

We believe in family groupings. This means that Explorers and Thunderbirds may have time to play and work together in groups of varied sizes.

Summer Program

The summer program begins the last Monday in June and usually runs eight weeks. Our program has twenty-five to thirty-five children during the summer program. The children are normally divided into two groups. These groups consist of: children who will be Explorers (24 months-42 months) in the fall, children who will be new Thunderbirds (43 months-72 months), and children who have already been Thunderbirds. Sometimes the groupings shift depending on which children attend. Our summer curriculum is very similar to the school year program, except we enjoy the outdoors more.

Facilities 

Lemberg Hall is contemporary brick building designed specifically for young children in 1960 and renovated for us in 1975.  We have two larger classrooms, "home" to the two main groups, and two smaller ones that are used by different groups at different times, as well as a lunch room, full kitchen, and playground.  Over the years we've made extensive changes, while keeping the classrooms homey, warm, and welcoming and organized attractively for activities.

Each year, new equipment is added to replace worn out items and parents help paint and repair equipment the classrooms.  We have lots of equipment including two lofts, musical instruments including a piano, sensory tables, a listen center, gymnastics equipment, magnifying glasses, playhouse furniture, and dress up clothing from around the world.  We have science & nature materials, unit blocks, brio trains, hollow & large waffle blocks for building life size spaces, sand toys, a library for children and families to borrow books, and a large variety of art supplies.

Children's Playgrounds Inc. of Toronto and Boston designed our playground’s wood structures with swings, tricycle riding area and tables for bringing inside activities out.  We have a vegetable garden and a flower garden.  In front of the center is a field that we use for sledding, parachute play, summer water play and ball games.  We visit Brandeis University museums, theaters, offices, laboratories, athletic facilities and ponds. There is little need for off campus field trips. 

Adult to Child Ratio

We maintain a 1:4 ratio in the Explorers (younger children) groups and a 1:4.5 ratio in the Thunderbirds (older children) group. The state licensing requirements are 1:4.5 for toddlers and 1:10 for children over 2 years and 9 months.

Daily Routine

Our daily activities consist of:

• Small group play/project times where children choose which activity (art projects, blocks, playhouse, puzzles, etc.) they will participate in.

• Large group meetings - including stories, discussions of the daily plans, puppets, songs- followed by small group activities based on curricular plans lead by teachers.
• Outside play time (preceded by hand washing, diapering and toileting).
• Lunch and two snack times (preceded by hand washing, diapering and toileting).
• Pre-nap activities - toileting, stories, reading, listening to records or tapes.
• All children sleep or rest on their cots during naptime (approximately 1 hour, unless parents specify other arrangements).

Always check in/out and make sure your child's head teacher knows when you arrive or leave. Children are allowed to leave with authorized individuals only.

Communication

Daily activities are posted on a large bulletin board in each classroom. There is also a message board in each classroom where teachers can leave notes about the day's activities and where parents can leave notes for the teachers. Important notices, messages and newsletters are emailed and posted online. Also, all families have a mailbox at the center.

Illnesses or Absences

Parents are informed about all current illnesses at the center. It is also important for us to know when children are not coming in.

If you have questions about your child's illness, please utilize our resource section on Health Links page.

Staffing

Nine professional staff members — a director, four head teachers, two office staff members, and two Lemberg teaching fellows — comprise the Lemberg Children’s Center staff. All have degrees in early childhood education, experience working with children and their families, as well as American Heart Association CPR and National Safety Council First Aid certifications. 

Lemberg staff enjoys young children, and understands how they learn and grow. They respond with sensitivity to each child's individual needs, desires and interests. In addition to the professional staff, we have a number of Brandeis students and interns who are required to participate in an apprenticeship program to support their work as teaching assistants (TAs). Currently we have several teachers and student teachers working 35 hours per week. The number of teachers and student teachers varies from year to year.

All Lemberg teachers and teaching assistants undergo training through our Center for Early Childhood Teacher Development. The center contains extensive written resources to support teachers and assistants, and especially to provide structure for our program and to keep our philosophy firmly in mind.

To learn more about our permanent staff, read their biographies!

Teaching Assistants:
The professional staff at the Center is supplemented by the Teaching Assistants (TAs) who are student teachers from Brandeis and other colleges who are completing their degrees in early childhood education, Brandeis federally sponsored Work Study students, students enrolled in developmental psychology classes, and volunteers. Volunteers may be college students, high school students, or local residents.

Before being selected to work with children, all TAs are interviewed and screened by the professional staff. They then work a training period under the direct supervision of the head teachers before they are formally hired and scheduled on a regular basis. TAs attend seminars, daily planning meetings, evening workshops, and receive on-the-job training and supervision. They are encouraged to question our methods, suggest ideas, and speak openly with the director and head teachers. As TAs learn and grow in their jobs they begin to take responsibility for small groups of children and plan and supervise small group activities. They also help supervise the playground prepare snacks, and assist in larger group activities. Each TA works between 4 and 35 hours per week with one Head Teacher and one group of children. TAs may remain with our program for several years. This provides them with extensive experience with young children and has led to several careers In early childhood education.

The TAs are a vital part of our program. They have very diverse backgrounds, often reflecting the diversity of our children. Most speak second languages in addition to English. They have lived all over the world. They are very bright, creative and talented people. Many are accomplished musicians and artists. TAs enjoy young children and provide positive experiences for them. The children frequently develop significant relationships with them.

Development and Training:
The center provides all staff with the opportunity to attend conferences and workshops.

Everyone is required to continue their education and to keep informed of issues in child care and family support.

In-service professional development opportunities are provided monthly to head teachers and TAs. The program brings at least four guest presenters annually for the community. These workshops meet the licensing requirements of EEC and the needs of our families or staff.

All Head Teachers, Administrators, and permanent staff are required to meet the guidelines specified by the EEC and NAEYC. The center maintains its commitment to these guidelines through its membership and active participation in a variety of organizations.

The Center encourages both student and permanent staff to develop a unique style of working with the children that is consistent with the philosophy. This is to ensure a positive and rewarding experience for all involved in the care of children.

Additional Child Care Arrangements

Extended hours childcare may be arranged with the director, head teachers or administrator. Additionally, The Center has information on setting up a babysitting cooperative for any parents interested in working together to provide for babysitting needs and weekend care.

A list of students available for babysitting is provided by mid-September and updated in early February. Phone numbers of off-campus services are available from the Director to assist families needing additional childcare resources.

Child Behavior and Management Policy

It is the policy of the Center that all children will be treated with respect and personal dignity. We believe that children respond well to encouragement and poorly to punishment. It is for this reason that we acknowledge the correct things a child does, and remind them of the appropriate behaviors when their behavior is inappropriate.

In addition, our curriculum addresses issues associated with conflicts that commonly create inappropriate responses (e.g., sharing things or friends, race, gender bias, physical disabilities, and social violence). We expect children to have difficulties. Our job is to help children find appropriate ways to resolve conflicts.

In accordance with the Department of Early Education and Care and in accordance with standard early childhood practices outlined in the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Center Accreditation Procedures, no child shall be subjected to cruel or severe punishment, humiliation or verbal abuse. No child shall be punished for soiling, wetting or not using the toilet. This is abusive behavior toward children and will be considered grounds for dismissal.

 
Classroom cubbies for art supplies and individual children's cubbies

Articles About The Lemberg Children's Center

In the News

We were featured in the November 2010 issue of The Provider, the newsletter of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers Inc. Read the article.

The Justice, Brandeis's student-run newspaper, ran an article about Lemberg and our history. Read the article.

Lemberg was voted one of Boston's Best Preschool Programs in their only survey of Preschool Programs to date.