Otter Creek Child Center Inc.

At Otter Creek, we enroll children once a year in August. Children are placed in programs or rooms not solely based on age, but also on factors such as where a child is developmentally, social skills, peer interaction, and prior experience in child care.

Once a child is placed within a group, that peer group stays together and moves up to the next program each August. The teachers stay with the youngest group of children for the first two years to foster the attachment and bonds which are so important to their optimal social and emotional development.

The changing dynamics of enrollment of each of the four programs year to year also plays a role in a child's placement. For example, placing an 18 month old as a Sea Pup or an Otter might depend partly on the range of ages in the groups at that time. If most of the Sea Pups are around 18 months old, the child might fit well in that group. If most of the Sea Pups are under a year old, the child might be placed in the Otter Program.