Middle Tyger Community Center

This Is My Child (TIMC)

The Program:

This Is My Child, one of the initial anchor programs offered by the Middle Tyger Community Center, opened in August of 1998.This Is My Child, Center for Child Development and Education, is a versatile program designed for parenting adolescents enrolled in District Five Schools of Spartanburg County.  The children of parenting adolescents can receive quality childcare in exchange for their participation in parenting services offered through the Middle Tyger Community Center.  This Is My Child is licensed by the Department of Social Services and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  The center provides a low child-to-teacher ratio, staff trained in CPR and First Aid.

Purpose and Goals:

This Is My Child seeks to provide an atmosphere that encourages the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth and development of the child as a whole.  We offer an opportunity for the child to develop his/her feelings of self-worth through positive reinforcement;  the recognition of personal choice, and respect for the child’s feelings and opinions.  We offer services to children age birth to three years old. The curriculum is designed to provide a variety of activities to support this development.  We also strive to support adolescent parents in their educational endeavors so that they may in turn support their children.

The goal of This Is My Child is to provide a learning enriched environment in which attention is paid to the nurturing of the whole child. Our program reflects this goal by providing high quality learning opportunities for children.  As children grow and develop, these learning opportunities must reflect children’s changing capacities for social, cognitive, sensory, and motor development.

TIMC offers

• Services to children ages six weeks to three years old
• An opportunity for the child to develop his/her feelings of self-worth through positive reinforcement, the recognition of personal choice, and respect for the child’s feelings and opinions.
• A curriculum designed to provide a variety of activities to support the child’s development.
• Low child-to-teacher ratio (1:4)
• Experienced, trained staff with degrees
• Hot meals

Parent Services

This Is My Child offers parent services which extend and support the family.

• Weekly Parent classes
• Activities to promote literacy and parent-child interactions
• Monthly home visitation program by assigned Parent Educator
• Monthly meeting with Career Case Manager
• Opportunity to receive high school diploma, GED, or secondary education

Child care is provided Monday – Friday  7:30 am to 4:30 pm

To serve the target population most effectively, the following priorities for acceptance into the program are followed:

1^st priority      Children of parents enrolled in D.R. Hill Middle/Byrnes High School

2^nd priority     Children of adolescent parents enrolled in GED or alternative diploma

3^rd priority     Children of adolescent parents enrolled in post-secondary education for 2 semesters.

4^th priority     Children of non-adolescent parents enrolled in GED classes

Criteria of Acceptance for Childcare Parent must. . .

• Must be working toward a high school diploma or GED
• Maintain satisfactory attendance in school
• Attend weekly Parenting class at the Middle Tyger Community Center or BHS
• Participate in PACT (Parent And Child Together) time
• Participate in the monthly home visitation provided by District Five parent educators
• Meet with assigned case manager monthly
• No additional pregnancies for adolescents while participating in the program

The Early Head Start Program

The Early Head Start (EHS) program philosophy is based on four cornerstones.  These are child development, family development, community building, and staff development.  Together they provide the foundation on which resources and services are provided to EHS families and staff.

Philosophy and Overview

Early Head Start believes a child’s day should reflect an interest in the whole child.  Each child has physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs that must be enhanced.  This Is My Child also promotes the development of a positive self-esteem.  In order to promote continuity of care and to strengthen the parent-teacher relationships, all Early Head Start classrooms have mixed age groupings of children.  Siblings are kept together whenever possible.

Child Services

Criteria of Acceptance for Children:

• Must have child 0 – 36 months
• Must be enrolled in school
• Must be a Spartanburg County resident
• Must meet EHS Federal Poverty Guidelines for income .

For more information, contact Debbie Strickland, TIMC Family Literacy Program Director, at 864-439-7760.