May 13, 2021
The Hartnell College Child Development Center is accepting morning and afternoon preschool
applications for Fall 2021, with a plan to provide in-person instruction.
Programs at the center, located on Hartnell’s Main Campus in Salinas, remain free to most families. A previous $25 registration fee has been waived at this time, as has a requirement that parents either be Hartnell students or enroll in a parent enrichment course.
Morning sessions are from 8:30-11:30 a.m., and the afternoon sessions are 12:30-3:30 p.m. Children are expected to attend five days a week.
The center provides an individualized, play-based learning experience for children who are almost 3 up to 5 years old. Teachers support children’s curiosity and promote respectful relationships in a rich indoor and outdoor environment, said Anne Adamson, director of the center and the Early Child Development program at Hartnell.
Erica Padilla-Chavez, president of the Hartnell Community College District Governing
Board, said the planned reopening of in-person preschool on the Main Campus is an
important step in the entire college’s move to restore on-campus education and services.
“This center is a vital resource for our students, employees and the entire community,” Padilla-Chavez said. “Reopening it is an important step toward restoring all of our in-person learning and services in the coming months.”
Registration packets can be requested by calling (831) 755-6945 or by email to lnunez@hartnell.edu. Children who will be at least 3 years old on or before Dec. 2 are eligible. Child and family orientation for the fall term will start on Aug. 19.
Adamson said in-person learning will be delivered with full safety precautions for COVID-19, including health screenings, masks and sanitization. All staff have been vaccinated for the coronavirus.
Class sizes are always limited, so Adamson encouraged families to register soon. Those whose children are participating in the center’s remote learning this spring will have first priority for available spots.
As eager as Adamson and her staff are to welcome children back for in-person learning, she noted with pride the team’s efforts to support children’s development and learning throughout the pandemic with developmentally appropriate, hands-on learning experiences.
“We connect with parents at least once a week by Zoom, phone, email or text and are
available for parents’ questions and concerns,” Adamson said.
In addition to distributing materials to families every two weeks within COVID-19 safety protocols, teachers have invited children to Zoom meetings at least twice per week, developing relationships and making connections with the children and families.
On the days children are not on Zoom, teachers send the learning experiences through online platforms that also enable two-way sharing of photos and messages.