Campaign Plans & Goals

The mission of the Child Development Center at Fairplex (CDC) is to provide a safe and supportive   educational environment of the highest quality, where children, families and teachers come together to learn. Ours is a full-inclusion program where special needs children are welcomed into our specially  designed infant, toddler and preschool classrooms. Curriculum is individualized for each student and is designed to meet the needs of the whole child, including cognitive, language, socio-emotional and physical skills. Our proximity to the L.A. County Fair gives us access to the World’s Largest Classroom where our children have many opportunities to experience a learning environment like no other! We currently serve nearly 200 children ages eight weeks to six years from 36 Southern California communities. Half of the families pay their own tuition, half have tuition covered by the State. These State supported parents must be employed or actively seeking a job.

We recognize that to ensure the success of our children, we must serve the entire family. Our adult    literacy, parental and vocational education programs are tangible reflections of our family-centered  focus. Our Pathways to Success Family Literacy Program promotes academic achievement,  strengthens parenting knowledge and promotes economic self-sufficiency.

Since 1991, we have had a unique partnership with the University of La Verne, educating hundreds of future early childhood education teachers and administrators. The University utilizes the CDC as an applied learning center or laboratory for students in the early childhood education program. All of our teachers have, or are in the process of achieving, undergraduate or master’s degrees.

The services of the CDC are in great demand. Today, we have a waiting list of 165 children. In response to this growing community need, in 2008 we will expand the physical plant of the Center, allowing for the creation of two new classrooms and the requisite additional playground space. The expansion will allow us to accomplish four objectives:

• move an existing class of 24 preschool students from a temporary trailer to a permanent classroom
• add a classroom for 24 new preschool students
• increase the number of early childhood educators in our program which has an important “ripple effect” in our local community by providing future teachers and administrators
• expand our adult learning and professional development space to further support the families of our students and the teachers we are training

Building this bright future for CDC children, teachers and families requires a significant financial investment. Our goal is to raise $2 million to complete this capital renovation project and add to our endowment fund. To date we have raised approximately $1,200,000 in support of this project, a portion of which is designated for the endowment portion of the campaign. With your support, the CDC will serve more children, families and teachers as one of the best early childhood education centers in the State, creating an enduring legacy for future generations.