Genesis ELC

Triumph’s Early Learning Center

Pictures above display our Toddler room, infant room, and playground area

Genesis’ Early Learning Center (ELC) opened in September of 2023. It is designed to serve the children (aged newborn to 5 years) that are living on campus with their mothers in the Pregnant and Parenting Women’s Program (PPW) at Triumph’s Campus.

Shannon Vaughn, the Childcare Program Director at Triumph explains that this program is an integral part of the PPW program: “I think the most impactful thing about the Therapeutic childcare is the bond that the moms form with the staff. This bond helps our moms feel safe and secure and are open to the feedback about parenting that is provided.”

Benefits of the ELC include low staff to child ratios, developmental assessments for children, staff supported parent-child interactions, and an overall therapeutic approach to childcare.

The staff is trained to identify barriers in the parenting area and help bridge the gap between the parent and child.

On a typical day, children are dropped off around 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning. The daily lesson plan incorporates all areas of development with activities that coincide with developmental milestones. Children experience safe outside play in a fully enclosed playground that contains a brand new play structure, snack time, circle time, free play, and art.  Parents pick up their children around noon, and the Therapeutic childcare staff provide support in the afternoons for parents to take a nap, shower, go to an outside appointment, or attend group education.

One day each week, every mom participates in Parent Child Interaction (PCI), which helps to facilitate the interaction between a mother and her child. The Therapeutic staff have a bird’s eye view into these direct interactions with mom and child, providing opportunities to give positive feedback and allowing for growth and development opportunities.  During PCI, moms are encouraged to pick an activity out of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) activity book that directly coincides with their child’s developmental milestones and facilitate the activity with their child.

A garden of raised beds lies directly behind the kitchen.  Soon, they will be filled with herbs and vegetables such as tomatoes and zucchini. Residents will have a hand in maintaining these plants and learn ways to prepare fresh vegetables in homemade meals.