Children's Learning Center celebrates 40 years

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By DENNIS HINES DEKALB – During the past 40 years, the Children's Learning Center has provided a place where children can learn and grow. Representatives from the Children's Learning Center recently celebrated the organization's 40th anniversary. Executive Director Nancy Teboda said she is pleased that the center has been serving the community for such a long period of time. "We're so excited. It's hard to believe it's been 40 years, and to be able to continue to meet our mission is a good feeling," Teboda said. The Children's Learning Center offers programs for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years. The children are divided into age-appropriate classrooms, and the center's 23 full-time employees and 30 part-time employees work closely with the children. "Each classroom has a head teacher who is in charge of making sure that we are doing activities that are developmentally appropriate for the age that we are serving in that room," Teboda said. "We have full-time staff and part-time staff that work with that head teacher on a daily basis to plan activities and carry out the daily activities." The students work on art and craft projects and participate in role-playing activities. Teboda said many of the students enjoy activities where they can use their imagination. "The teachers will go and change out the materials in the dramatic play area, maybe they will set it up to be a McDonald's or they will have it be a doctor's office," Teboda said. "So they do enjoy imaginative play." Teboda said several of the classrooms work on science projects and educational-related activities. The students also attend field trips to local businesses and recreational areas. "When the weather is appropriate, we go to Hopkins Park to go sledding. We go visit the pet store. We go to Walmart to pick up ingredients to do a nutritional activity in the afternoon," Teboda said. "During the summer time, we will take the younger children to local parks that they can't, otherwise, walk to. We go to the forest preserve for nature walks. We've gone to pizza places and have made personal pizzas and had them delivered." The Children's Learning Center also offers a before-school program at the main location on Fourth Street and at Littlejohn Elementary School and an after-school program at Littlejohn and Lincoln elementary schools. The center has a total enrollment of about 180 students. Teboda said enrollment has remained steady during the past few years, but more students have enrolled in the before- and after-school programs. "We have more families using our before-school programs than ever before. We started our before-school program at the main center four years ago, and the first couple of years we had very few children," Teboda said. "But once we got the word out that we were offering this opportunity and providing transportation from here to the southside DeKalb schools, all of a sudden, the numbers last year increased. This year, the numbers increased dramatically." Teboda said the center works closely with children's parents to make sure they are performing well at school and that they are doing well at home. "We work with families to find out what's going on in a child's mind, what's going on with their school life, and we coordinate that with what's going on at the Children's Learning Center," Teboda said. "So it's a complete approach to making sure that there's consistency, and what's happening here at CLC is what's happening in the child's world outside of CLC." Teboda has worked at the Children's Learning Center for about 25 years. She was named executive director of the center last year after former director Lynne Switzky retired. "I've enjoyed all of the people I have worked with over the years. I have enjoyed working with all the families over the years. I've developed tremendous lifetime friendships with staff, families, parents and children," Teboda said. "I feel like we're doing something absolutely necessary in our world, and we're doing a very good job at it. You walk into CLC, and you feel like it's a warm hug."