The Ella Baker /Charles Romain Child Development Center (EB/CR CDC) of Medgar Evers College provides both a Pre-School and an Afterschool Program, which meets the needs of student parents and their children. EB/CR CDC is a National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredited program and QUALITYstarsNY rated program with Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) licensure. We operate a universal pre-kindergarten and 3K program through the Department of Education as well as our traditional Busy Bees 2 year- old program, and Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) program for children ages 2 to 12.
EB/CR CDC is open to provide quality child-care and education through an academically rigorous and socially/emotionally supportive play-based learning environment. The center is open from 7:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Mondays thru Thursdays and until 3:00 p.m. on Fridays. Weekend services are available on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Ella Baker/Charles Romain Child Development Center, founded by students more than 30 years ago, has provided developmentally appropriate care and education for the youngest members of the Medgar Evers College (MEC) student- parent community.
The Child Developmental Center at Medgar Evers College was named after Ella Baker and Charles Romain. Ella Baker was a major force in shaping the development of the Civil Rights Movement. In the late fifties, she was the premiere behind-the-scenes organizer and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) created to fight racism. Charles Romain was a beloved professor at Medgar Evers College. He fully supported and was instrumental in the formation of the Child Development Center at Medgar Evers College.
In 2017, when the Education Department became the School of Education, Ella Baker Charles Romain Child Development Center (EB/ CR CDC) came under the School of Education and adheres to its standards.
MEC School of Global Education Standards
1) Knowledge
2) : Personal and Global Consciousness
3) : Analytical Ability
4) : Creativity
5) : Professionalism
6) : Effective Communication
7) : Collaboration
8) Commitment and Caring
We support student parent success one family at a time. We create a caring and nurturing atmosphere that fosters each child’s creativity, positive self-image, and respect for one's own culture and the culture of others.
Our teaching staff knows that the most important thing to remember about children's development is that all of the parts – the emotional, the social, the physical and the intellectual -- work together in a reciprocal relationship with each developmental domain potentially influencing the other.
We focus on the Individual child and differentiate activities according to ability, interest and developmental need(s) nurturing children to become critical thinkers who can articulate their needs and are sensitive to the needs of others.
Play/playfulness facilitates a focus on and integration of content areas and development domains (i.e. cognitive, social, emotional, language, physical). Children learn through play and playfulness, the main work of childhood. We seek to create a partnership with parents while at the same time providing a place for children where they can explore, reach, and exceed their potential in literacy, mathematical thinkers, STEM, multicultural arts, critically thinking and communication. Our goal is to graduate young children who are confident, have extensive background knowledge, able to communicate their own needs, able to ask questions to better understand the needs of others and clarify the information they learn. Above all, our children graduate demonstrating an understanding of concepts in language development and literacy (We set the foundation for the development of reading and facilitate building on existing reading skills), numeracy, STEM, multicultural arts and are able to excel at their next level of education.
Juanita Crafton
Director
jcrafton@mec.cuny.edu
(718) 270-6183
Donna Wright
Facility Advisor Medgar Evers School of Education
dwright@mec.cuny.edu
Rochelle Daire
Administrative Compliance Coordinator
rdaire@mec.cuny.edu
(718) 270-6017
Edith Blake
Parent Coordinator
eblake@mec.cuny.edu
(718)270-6018
Honey Bees (PreK)
Aprilis Nelson (Lead Teacher)
Sanya Roberts (Assistant Teacher)
Amazing Bees (3K)
Keshia James (Lead Teacher)
Jade Warrington (Assistant Teacher)
Busy Bees
Daciann Mardenborough (Lead Teacher)
Allison Connell (Assistant Teacher)
Rising Bees (School Age)
Rashida Hamilton (Lead Teacher)
Busy Bees
Daciann Mardenborough (Lead Teacher)
Allison Connell (Assistant Teacher)
Rising Bees (School Age)
Rashida Hamilton (Lead Teacher)
Culture influences children’s positive self-image and self-esteem At the Center, children learn about each other’s culture throughout the year. A day is set aside for children to appreciate traditional dress, food, music and dance. Additionally, extended families share folktales, stories and proverbs with the children. Language is incorporated through simple phrases. We use culture as a vehicle for learning, such as call and response to support remembering information. 
Ella Baker/Charles Romain Child Development Center continue its walk in the shadow of Medgar Evers footsteps’ dedicated to social justice. We continue to nurture our children to grow in using their voice, so that when they become older, they can effect change for themselves and others. Children learn the democratic ideal through our incorporation of voting, as a practice. They vote on Class President and Vice President (having the responsibility of being at the head of the line) and choosing the class name and the name for the class animals. 
The Program uses a variety of screening and assessment tools for children. Children are screened within 45 days of attending the program, including assessments administered by the Parent Coordinator or Social Worker. The initial assessment is conducted using the Early Screening Inventory. The Creative Curriculum (Teaching Strategies) embedded assessment cycle is used to conduct formative assessments throughout the year. Other assessments are Literacy, Numeracy and Science Awareness. 
