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Mission and Philosophy

The mission of the Linden School is to support Lorain County’s families of all economic, cultural, and racial backgrounds by providing their child (ren) affordable, high quality, child-centered, family-focused care.

The Linden School’s philosophy and guiding principles are as follows:

  • The Linden School is committed to providing a program that broadens opportunities for children and families.
  • The Linden School is committed to providing a package of childcare services that is convenient and accessible for families served.
  • The Linden School is committed to providing childcare to families of all income levels while balancing enrollment between private pay and childcare subsidized families with the realities of available resources for Scholarships.
  • The Linden School is committed to creating the organizational capacity for sound financial management and decision-making.

The Linden School was founded because of the great need for quality childcare in Lorain County, and our program offers this high quality care to families of all income levels. We sought and achieved the confidence of the public, parents, and other local social service agencies.

The Linden School, our accredidations

The Linden School wasthe first childcare center in Lorain County to be awarded this accreditation and the first childcare center in Lorain County to earn two national accreditations.

NAEYC

The Linden School proved its commitment to high quality childcare by becoming the first childcare center in Lorain County to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This accreditation is more than a symbol of quality, as the requirements are far more stringent than current childcare licensing regulations in the State of Ohio. Our accreditation was renewed in February 2005 and is valid through February 2010.

The NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation administers a national, voluntary accreditation system to help raise the quality of all types of preschools, kindergartens, and child care centers. Currently there are more than 10,000 NAEYC-accredited programs, serving nearly one million children and their families. Since the system began in 1985, NAEYC Accreditation has provided a powerful tool through which early childhood professionals, families, and others concerned about the quality of early childhood education can evaluate programs, compare them with professional standards, strengthen the program and commit to ongoing evaluation and improvement.

The NAEYC Governing Board established a project to reinvent accreditation, including the development of new program standards, accreditation criteria, and assessment procedures, as well as steps to improve the reliability and accountability of the system while better managing the demand for accreditation. The transition to the next era of NAEYC Accreditation is now underway, and the new system will be fully operational in September 2006.

NAA

In February 2006, our School-Age program earned accreditation from the National AfterSchool Association (NAA). The NAA's mission is to be the leading voice of the after-school profession dedicated to the development, education, and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours.

The benefits of National AfterSchool Association Accreditation include:

Accreditation leads to sustained program improvement. This is documented through ASQ team program improvements made and annual reports on continuing compliance sent to NAA and verified every four years through the Endorsement Visit process.

The NAA Standards for School-Age Quality specifically address the indicators of quality programs reflected in current research. Examples include meeting the developmentally different needs of youth, 5-14 years, involving children and youth in program planning, providing positive interactions between children and youth and adults, and ensuring a safe and challenging environment for children and youth in out of school time.

Quality programs lead to better outcomes for children and youth:

  • Protects the well-being of children and youth
  • Supports emotional and social development for children and youth
  • Enhances academic achievement for children and youth

The Accreditation process promotes a team approach to program improvement. Staff, parents, and children and youth play significant roles in the self-improvement approach to a quality program. Documented results include:

  • Creates a competent, caring, and qualified staff who work with school-age children and youth.
  • Transforms individual staff members into a strong professional team.
  • Creates a pool of "solution makers."
  • Generates valuable feedback for staff from outside sources.
  • Increases staff confidence and morale.
  • Promotes "buy-in" to Accreditation Standards and self-improvement process.
  • Encourages and teaches staff "to talk the talk" to all stakeholders (e.g., parents, community, colleagues).
  • Creates program advocates for children and youth, parents, and thecommunity.

NAA Accreditation ultimately leads to a better trained workforce, leading to greater stability and ultimately better outcomes for children and youth. Programs reap the benefits from well-trained staff members who typically transfer this knowledge when they move to other programs.

The Linden School, a history of the organization

The Linden School was created in 1989 as an initiative of the Nord Family Foundation with the mission to provide a quality childcare alternative for low-income working families of Lorain County. Throughout the center’s 16 years of existence, we have proven ourselves to be a leader in the childcare and early childhood education industry by implementing high quality programs and collaborations as well as employing well educated, experienced teachers. As we look forward to the next five years, we envision a comprehensive program that demonstrates excellence in preparing Lorain County children for their formal education years as well as providing services to their parents and families. These services include a parent education program and community networking opportunities.

In 1992, the center became the first childcare center in Lorain County to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) setting a benchmark for quality childcare and early childhood education services in our community. Our accreditation was renewed in February 2005 and is valid through February 2010.

1996 was a year for future planning and innovation for The Linden School. The Board of Directors began looking for a new site to move the organization to and began dialogue with interested local organizations about collaborative projects. In 1998, all discussions were put into action. The Wesleyan Village was in the process of building a new community services building and made the decision to include a childcare facility in the design plans. Wesleyan Village representatives presented the project to the Linden School Board of Directors, and, after careful planning and consideration, the Executive Director and Board made the decision to go forth with the move. A capital campaign was developed, and, with the generous contributions of local foundations and private sector donors, the center moved its operations to the campus of Wesleyan Village during December 1999. This move allowed the center to add an Intergeneration Child Care Program component as well as expand our services to include Infant and Toddler care.

The Linden School is a non-profit organization and is registered as a category 501(c)3 organization with the Internal Revenue Service. We operate via state & federal grants, grants from private and public foundations and tuition received from our families. We rely on several parent fundraisers throughout the year to raise funds to purchase classroom supplies and equipment.

As we move into our 17 th year of existence, we are more committed than ever to providing exceptional early childhood education and childcare for the families of our community. In pursuit of this excellence, our future focus is on the development of a Family Learning Center and Lending Library that will promote language and literacy through enjoyable family experiences. The Library will make audio, visual and reading materials available to families who might not have an opportunity to utilize them due to financial and time limitations. In addition, the Library will aid parents in learning about early childhood topics through a Parent Education Program.

The Linden School seeks to improve the lives of children on a daily basis by providing high quality, family-focused, child-centered early childhood education and childcare to the families of Lorain County. We proudly serve the future leaders of our community, and are grateful for the opportunity to influence the lives of these children.