The Growing Place Child Care Center has been providing quality child care services since 1993. We are a Keystone STARS Center striving for a Continuous Quality Improvement program and a rating system for early learning and school-age program. At the center, we strive to provide a safe controlled, stimulating environment with a staff that is carefully selected and qualified; to increase a child’s self-esteem, self-confidence, and independence in a secure atmosphere; to develop a positive self-image while allowing him to express himself through art, music, and rhythm; to provide experiences which introduce the preschooler to readiness skills in the areas of reading, language, math, and science; to help stimulate a child’s growth through physical, social, emotional, and intellectual experiences; and to provide opportunities for a child to develop social skills such as interacting, cooperating, helping, and negotiating. We are a developmental program. We provide children with experiences that will build a strong foundation of basic skills. These basic skills will then lead children to success in academic learning during their school years. Our center encourages a learning environment in which the children will be prepared for the transition into kindergarten. The Growing Place teachers follow the recommendations of the Mercer School District Kindergarten teachers and the above goals for our preschool students. Children entering kindergarten are invited over to the elementary school to visit a kindergarten classroom & meet the kindergarten teachers.