Welcome to Our Taft College Children’s Center!
Taft College’s highly rated Children's Center Lab School is licensed for infants (birth) through five years old for Pre-K. It is located at 715 Ash Street in Taft, California.
Our services are available to children of Taft College students, faculty, and staff, as well as children of Taft community parents.
Our teaching staff members are college-educated and hold Child Development Permits, issued by the California Department of Education Credentials Office.
The $3.5 million lab school is equipped with cameras in every classroom and on the playground. Our curriculum provides an enriched learning environment designed to foster social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth for young children. Although not officially designated as a dual language school, our Children’s Center is bilingual, and a majority of our students speak Spanish.
The Taft College Children’s Center is under the Early Care, Education and Family Studies division, and our classrooms serve as a Lab School for students, which is especially important for the Career Technical Education (CTE) degree program.
The Taft College Children's Center
We offer an enriched learning environment designed to foster social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth for young children.
Now Enrolling Children from Newborn to 5 Years!
All interested families, please fill out the Waitlist Application Form. For more information and answers to your questions, please call us at 661-763-7850.
Year-Round Program: Monday through Friday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
CHILDCARE RATINGS
Taft College's Children's Center received an Excellent Rating of Four Stars from both the California Department of Education and Kern County. Kern County's Kern Early Stars only rates Pre-K programs in the County.
Kern Early Stars 2023: Taft College Ratings
- Child Observation - Highest QualityHighest Quality: The Program evaluates children's learning and development, holds parent conferences, and uses a state-approved tool to help children learn. Results are entered into a software program.
- Health and Development Screening - Highest QualityHighest Quality: The Program uses a form recommended by pediatricians to check children's physical, social, and emotional development, in additional to annual hearing and vision tests.
- Teacher Training and Education - Exceeding QualityExceeding Quality: Teachers have an Associate's Degree in early childhood education and development, and teachers complete 21 hours of professional development annually.
- Effective Teacher-Child Interactions - Achieving QualityAchieving Quality: The Program has been rated on the quality of teacher-child interactions and has a plan for improvements.
- Teacher-Child Ratio - Highest QualityHighest Quality: The Program has three teachers for every nine infants; three teachers for every 12 toddlers; and one teacher for every eight preschoolers, and a group size less than 20.
- Director Training and Education - Exceeding QualityExceeding Quality: The Program Director has a Bachelor's Degree with 24 college units in early childhood education and development, six units of preschool management/administration, two units of supervision, and completes 21 hours of professional development annually.
Taft College Children's Center: Infants through five years old for Pre-K
Learn more. Call us to schedule a visit and request an application: 661-763-7850.
Message from Meghan Hall-Silveira, Program Director
It is a pleasure to welcome you and your children to the Taft College Children’s Center. I’ve seen such growth since I came to the College in 1996, and I have directed this Program since 2019. Our focus remains service for quality care and education in three programs – California (CA) General Childcare (Infants/Toddlers), CA Migrant Program and CA State Preschool (Pre-K) – with a mission to enhance development in all growth areas through appropriately designed curriculum in a safe and culturally sensitive manner.
One of my goals has been to reaffirm The Children’s Center as a Lab School under Taft College’s Academic Division, supporting their Early Care, Education and Family Studies (ECEF) degree program. Two ECEF Professors relocated their offices and their instructional classroom to our site. Each week ECEF students enter our campus to complete 50 observation hours and 50 internship lab hours working directly with children. Our site features a specialized observation room with mirrored windows for direct viewing of children’s growth and development. Additionally, it is equipped with a large-screen TV that provides real-time audio/video access to observe all classrooms and playgrounds. With the California Commission's launch of the PreK-3rd grade Teaching Credential, our faculty and staff are working closely with institutions of higher education to ensure accessible and equitable pathways for students to reach their goals and to build strong supportive bonds.
I look forward to new beneficial endeavors, such as a digital waitlist application and working closely with Taft College’s Department of Instruction to support developments like additional teaching credential programs.
Please feel free to call me with any questions at 661-763-7850.
Best regards,
Meghan Hall-Silveira, Program Director