Field Trip to New Horizon Academy-New Daycare Center at Southwest Health Center Campus
The Optimist Club went on a field trip September 11th to the newest childcare center in Platteville, located on the Southwest Health Center campus. Tammie Richter, Foundation Director at Southwest Health Center, spoke about how they started working to pull funds together for the facility four years ago and it opens to the public on September 14th. She then introduced our group to Platteville native Paige Wagner, Assistant Director at New Horizon Academy, who gave us a tour of the state-of-the-art facility. Dori Wasserburger serves as the Director of the academy. New Horizon Academy is based in Minnesota. This is their first facility in Wisconsin. The building is owned by Southwest Health and they have a partnership with New Horizon Academy who operates the Center within their building. Southwest Health Center staff and employees who have children in the center receive a tuition discount at the academy.
New Horizon Academy offers childcare and learning programs for children ages 6 weeks to 10 years. They currently have 56 children registered and enrolled with a maximum capacity of 158. Their hours are 6:30 am - 6:00 pm and they offer the following programs:
Infant (3 rooms) - 6 weeks-12 months with a staff-to-child ratio of 1:4 and a maximum 8 infants in one room. Here children grow and learn each day by exploring and making new discoveries in a safe and loving environment.
Toddler (3 rooms) - 12 months-24 months with a staff-to-child ratio of 1:4 and a maximum 8 children per classroom. Here toddlers gain independence, learn new skills, and develop self-esteem in the active and supportive rooms.
Twos Classroom (2 rooms) - 2-3 year old's with a staff-to-child ratio of 1:7 and a maximum 14 children per classroom. In this room the children gain school-readiness skills along with the development of social and emotional skills in an engaging, fun environment.
Pre-K - School Age (1 room) with a staff-to-child ratio of 1:10 and a maximum 20 children in the classroom. In this room children prepare to enter kindergarten with the language, early literacy, mathematics, social and emotional, physical, cognitive, and executive functioning skills necessary for success.
New Horizon Academy is exploring an after-school program where children will form friendships, explore topics of interest, gain confidence, and experience a balance of learning and fun in a club-like atmosphere. They will develop this program if they find the need in the community.
Welcome to Platteville! We're happy to have you here!
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