Covenant Children's Center

Covenant Presbyterian Church
670 East Meadow Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 493-9505
FAX (650) 493-8034

Covenant Children's Center has been providing quality childcare since 1978 at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto.

Covenant Children's Center is run on a nondenominational basis and serves the entire community without regard to race, religion or national origin.

Our intent is to provide a place for children to learn and grow in which the rights and beliefs of all social, racial, cultural, religious and economic groups are respected.

During the year, teaching units emphasize reading readiness, the changing seasons, and special holiday times. We celebrate various religious holidays to provide continuity with the child's home life.

The daily program intersperses organized activities with unstructured periods for creative play. Wholesome snacks are provided mid-morning and mid-afternoon. A supervised lunch period and naptime separate the morning and afternoon sessions in every class.

Infant Program

"As a new mom, I've learned the most valuable information
about parenting from the staff."

In their first years children will learn and grow more quickly than at any other time in life.

The Covenant Infant Program understands the importance of this time in your baby's life. To ensure that each child has the opportunity to develop fully, we provide a safe, clean environment filled with bright colors, favorite books and toys, and a warm nurturing staff.

"The squeals of delight I hear each morning when we arrive in the parking lot reaffirm that my daughter is with the best!"

We appreciate the uniqueness of each baby and treat each one as an individual with its own needs and wants. Each baby receives physical comfort and caring affection throughout the day from our Infant Room staff. We have designed an Infant Program that focuses on five areas of growth.

Cognitive skills
Fine motor skills
Language skills
Gross motor skills
Social and emotional growth

Growth of cognitive, motor and language skills is possible when a baby feels secure in the environment and valued by those who care for him/her. Each baby has several caregivers that spend time each day rocking, holding, talking and playing with him or her. With only two babies per adult, each baby gets a lot of individual attention. The caregivers' sensitivity and enthusiasm for each baby's progress enables the baby to feel that these activities are important.

Toddler/Two Program

The Toddler/Two Program provides the same nurturing environment as the Infant program but with broader goals.

Encourage a strong self-image
Broaden horizons in all facets of growth: physical, emotional, social and intellectual
Encourage skill and attitudinal development to help each child cope with daily challenges key to toddlers
Bridge the gap between home and community by providing a safe, supportive and accepting place where they feel comfortable separating from parents.

Preschool Program

"We have had the luxury of having reliable, loving care for our children over nine years."

Preschool is more than just preparation for Kindergarten: it is a crucial step in social growth. Preschool provides for building a child's self-confidence and understanding of their relationship to the world around them. Covenant's Preschool Program is focused on development of the whole child, preparing for school by developing physically, emotionally and socially with a group of children their own age. The children are encouraged to develop wholesome attitudes of conduct and fair play, and learn respect for property, adults and each other.

Throughout the preschool years the curriculum advances from alphabet songs and daily weather games to matching games and developing early reading readiness and familiarity with numbers. The Program focuses on learning through play, instead of a strict rigid curriculum. We believe providing a child with social, physical, emotional, and intellectual skills is necessary in preparing for school.

Parent Participation

Because parent support and understanding of the day's experience are so important to each child's progress, all parents are welcome and encouraged to take part in activities. There are numerous opportunities throughout the year for parents to participate in Center events and meet with other parents. This fellowship is an important part of the experience at Covenant Children's Center.

Teachers and Staff

"Over seven years, we have always felt our children were safe, well cared for, and most important, loved at Covenant. They have grown into wonderful children with Covenant's help."

Our Director, Kathy Hea, leads an enthusiastic and experienced staff of teachers and aides that are qualified by the State of California. We have built a staff of mature, responsible adults with personal qualities of warmth, friendliness and the ability to understand and accept individual differences in children. Turnover in our staff has been very low over the years, providing a strong and invaluable sense of continuity for the children, our families and the staff.

We strive at all times to give individualized attention, with more staff per class than California state requirements. We maintain the following number of children per adult:

Infant Program - 2 babies
Toddler/Two - 3/4 toddlers
Preschool - 6/8 children
Extended Day - 8/10 children