Education at the Center

The Immokalee Child Care Center office is located at 3775 Airport Pulling Road in Naples Florida. The center serves up to 110 children ranging from ages 4 weeks to 5 years. More than 30 infants are continuously on the waiting list.

The center is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families and is also accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children, as well as the Florida Association for Child Care Management.  It is open from Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. The center offers a safe and nurturing environment for these children as well as providing age appropriate activities.

With 22 teachers on site, the center maintains a low teacher/student ratio of no more than one to eight. Twenty staff members have received a Child Development Associate (CDA) in the State of Florida. The center holds the only community-based State of Florida CDA right in Immokalee. The class is taught by certified instructors from Child Care of SW Florida, a local 4C Central Child Care Agency, and is underwritten by two local foundations. It provides early childhood educations in the community with a chance to earn a CDA, which is equivalent to a two-year degree in early childhood education and development. In the State of Florida, one person for every twenty children is required to have this degree. Overall staff includes:

• 22 teachers
• 2 full-time cooks
• 1 janitorial staff
• 2 office staff
• 1 educational staff
• 1 full-time office administrator (Naples)
• 1 Executive Director

While many of the children come from migrant backgrounds, an increasing number are from low income families, whose parents use the center’s services while they strive to find better jobs or further their education. Fees to attend the center are based on a sliding scale of the income of the family and how they are subsidized.

One thing that makes ICCC stand out in the community is the emphasis we place on education through the arts.  In 2004, ICCC decided to be innovative and incorporate a music appreciation program for the four-year old students through a Suzuki Music Program.  The children were introduced to the classics and learned beginning piano instruction.  Experts tell us that children exposed to music at an early age tend to have better math and social skills later on in life.

The Center also places an emphasis on early literacy.  Children who develop a love for reading at an early age tend to do better in school and also place higher on standardized tests.