The Peralta Community College District Children's Centers (located at Laney College & Merritt College) are currently recruiting and enrolling new families with children ages 3 to 5 years. The centers provide free, low-cost, and full-fee childcare. Visit our website at https://web.peralta.edu/childcare/ to apply.
In 1979, the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Children’s Centers began enrolling children from low income families for subsidized childcare. Child Development faculty at the time wanted the Centers to be connected to the District to provide childcare to students and the community. The Centers have continued to grow and expand services to student-families over the decades.
Key goals of the PCCD Children Centers are:
- To offer a high quality, safe environment that permits children to discover and learn
- To be decision-makers and problem solvers that support children and their families
- To foster positive self-esteem in the development of children
- To prepare children to move to Transitional Kindergarten (TK) or Kindergarten successfully
While the center's main priority is enrolling the children of Peralta students and employees, families in the community are also welcomed. The centers also provide childcare services for families with various necessities like work, seeking employment, parental incapacity, seeking permanent housing, and homelessness.
Interested families can reach us at (510) 464-3575 for the Laney College Children's Center and (510) 436-2436 for the Merritt College Children's Center, or by email at childcare@peralta.edu.
The PCCD Children’s Centers uses Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum as the curriculum for both sites. This curriculum is based on noted Child Development theorists and current research about how children learn. The Creative Curriculum is designed to be a blueprint for PCCD teachers to plan and implement a developmentally appropriate program for children, while introducing them to topics that are of age appropriate interest. The curriculum also takes into account the following: individual interests and uniqueness, gender, temperament, learning styles, life experiences, cultural identity, special needs, and second language learners.
The Coordinator of PCCD’s Children Centers is Erica Harrell. She has served in this capacity for 9 years. If you have questions about the PCCD Children's Centers, you can contact Ms. Harrell by email at childcare@peralta.edu.
