College of Education > Units & Facilities > Facilities

childcenter

Overview

The Child Care Center is part of the Early Childhood Education Department at the College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University. It was established in 2007 and began to receive children in February 2008. Its main purpose is to provide teachers-in-training with distinctive quality training and experience as part of their bachelor's degree program, in line with international standards for pre-school teacher education.

The maximum capacity of the center is thirty children. It offers them a variety of activities designed to develop their skills in various developmental fields, commensurate with their stage of development, interests and abilities and to prepare them for school.

The program applied in the center is bilingual; being in Arabic and English. It focuses on educating through individual teaching according to the child’s capabilities and progress in various skills in order to get him/ her to the top level possible that can be achieved.

Mission

The Child Care Center has two main goals. One goal is to provide teachers-in-training with practical experience through observing, interacting with and teaching children, under the guidance of qualified teachers, as part of a Bachelor of Education degree program. Another goal is to provide the most up-to-date program and facilities available for the education of young children.

Philosophy

Children’s early learning experiences have a profound effect on their development. The learning they do at the Child Care Center provides the basis for the acquisition of literacy, mathematics and science skills and prepares them for successful learning experiences in later grades. Our teachers provide constructive and consistent learning experiences that will build student’s confidence, encourage them to continue to see learning as both enjoyable and useful, and provide a strong foundation for their future intellectual, physical, social and moral development.

Location

map

Outdoor Play Area

playground

This large central undercover area consists of a large sand area complete with climbing walls, a paved section for tricycle riding and various other activities and a large synthetic grassed area with an adventure playground.

Kitchen

Consisting of all the normal kitchen essentials, this area is used to cook and prepare foods as part of the children’s learning program. Those children who remain at school in the afternoon also take their afternoon snack there.

Observation Rooms

Two observation rooms overlook each classroom. Parents, university staff and students can observe the teachers and children at work unseen by the children through the mirrored glass.

Classrooms

English_classroom

The Child Care Center is equipped with two classrooms. One is utilized for teaching English while the other is used for Arabic. Each classroom has many learning areas which contain an abundance of manipulative resources. Each classroom also has an attached wet area with child sized toilets and basins.

Gym Room

This large empty space is used for exercise. Various activities are undertaken using materials such as balls, beanbags, hoops and scooter boards.

Multipurpose Room

This room is used for parent-teacher meeting as well as for various lectures conducted by the Early Childhood Education Department. Occasionally it is also used for children’s activities.

Reception

This area contains the coordinator and director’s offices as well as a waiting area.

Entry

In the area parents sign their children in and out for the day. Various program information can be found on the walls and a photo display of the previous month’s activities can be viewed as well as other information of interest, as displayed on the notice board. Electronic doors separate this area from the children’s section of the building.

Children

In early childhood, children’s receptivity to new influences and capacity to learn are at their peak. During this period they acquire a variety of important skills, knowledge and attitudes that will affect their ability to learn, their personal development, their relationships with others, and their future participation in society. The Child Care Center is dedicated to providing staff, facilities, and equipment that are the best available . The services provided for the children are of high quality. The center will be like a home away from home where the atmosphere is an inviting, warm, and comfortable extension to the nurturing family environment.

Attendance and Departure

Children may enter the center between 7:15 and 7:45a.m. Parents should accompany the child into the building.
Regular attendance by children ensures that they receive the full benefit of the program and that the teachers-in-training will be able to meet the requirements of their teaching practice. Therefore, it is essential that children arrive on time and attend classes regularly.
Children will be considered late if they arrive after 7:45 a.m.
A child who has been late five times in one month or absent three times in one month without a medical certificate will receive a warning letter. After two warning letters, the child will be withdrawn from the program to be replaced by a child who will be punctual and attend regularly.

In emergency cases when the child needs to be away for three days or more, the center should be notified by a written notice.
A child who does not attend regularly during the month of May (the last month of the academic year), will not be registered for the following September.
Parents may pick up their children between 12:45 and 1:00 pm. If a child is not picked up, he will have a nap and then he will be supervised by the educational assistant until 3:00 pm. Parents may pick up their children between 1:45 pm and 3:00 pm. The coordinator must be informed in advance when a parent intends to send somebody else to pick up his/ her child.

Health and Illness

For the health of all children, a sick child should be kept at home. A medical certificate is needed upon return to school. If a teacher suspects that a child is ill, parents will be notified to pick up the child. If a child is required to take medicine during the day, the parent must come to center to administer the medicine.

Nutrition

Each child must be able to eat and drink independently without adult assistance or reminders to eat. S/he will require a snack to be packed in a small lunch bag. There will be an opportunity for the child to eat in each of the Arabic and English classrooms. If the child stays after 1:45 p.m. there will be a third opportunity to eat.

As a part of the health science program, children will be taught to sort pretend food into “Brain food” and “Junk food”. Therefore a snack with small portions of fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, yogurts, sandwiches, meat, cheese, pasta, nuts, milk, and juice is recommended. Please include bottled water in your child’s lunch bag. Please DON’T include the following:

Candy
Potato chips or crisps
Donuts and cakes containing cream or a lot of icing
Soft drinks such as Pepsi, Cola etc…
Chewing Gum
Fruit drink (Fruit juice is appropriate)
Hotdogs
Chocolate bars or chocolate chip cookies (Nutella spread and dates squares are more appropriate)

Clothing

There is no uniform required for the children. Please dress your child in practical, comfortable clothes that are easy to clean. Children should wear clothes that do not have long trailing ties or laces to avoid accidents, where a child’s clothing is caught on equipment. Please make sure that your child is able to independently take off and put on his clothes when using the washroom.
Shoes must be light, safe and easy to be taken off and put on independently by the child.
Jewellery is not permitted except for simple sleeper earrings.

Birthdays & Toys

Birthdays will be celebrated in both English and Arabic classrooms. Food and sweets are not allowed for birthdays. The celebration of birthdays will merge science, math, and social skills. Children are not encouraged to bring personal toys to school. For specific purposes, children will be permitted to bring toys with previous notification of the teachers by the parents.

Parents as Partners

With a play-based program it is sometimes difficult for parents to determine what their child is learning or how their child is developing. Therefore parents are invited to the observation rooms to observe their child functioning in the program. A parent-teacher conference will be held on the same day to allow the parents to ask questions and to receive an update on their child’s progress. Parents are expected to be fully involved in the program, and to participate in any required activity for the benefit of their children.

Requirements

The Child Care Center accepts applications for interviews with children of any nationality starting from March of each year until the required number of children who have the following qualifications is achieved:

a parent who works or studies (postgraduate studies only) in Sultan Qaboos University

a minimum of 3 years, 8 months of age by August 31 (verified by a birth certificate or passport)

in good physical health subject to a medical examination

able to participate in an interview

uses a toilet independently

eats meals independently

Registration Procedures

Around March time every year, a registration announcement goes out by E-mail to all the employees of S.Q.U.

In order to register your child you need to:

1. fill in the Registration Form and send it to c.c.c@squ.edu.om

2. fill in the Student Health Form, a medical examination should be done at FAMCO

3. submit the following:

two photos of your child
a copy of the child’s birth certificate or passport
a copy of the relevant parent’s SQU identification card

4. pay the application fee

Fees

An application fee of 15 O.R is payable prior to the child’s interview and is non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the interview.

A registration fee of 100 O.R is payable once the child has been accepted at the center or when promoted from K.G 1 to K.G 2. This non-refundable fee holds the child’s place until attending in September. The registration fee will be deducted from the education fees.

Tuition fees of four hundred and fifty Omani Rials are payable as follows:

100 Omani Rials as a registration fee (as mentioned above).
175 Omani Rials payable at the beginning of the first semester.
175 Omani Rials payable at the beginning of the second semester.

Bus Fees of two hundred and twenty five Omani Rials are payable as follows:

125 Omani Rials payable at the beginning of the first semester.
100 Omani Rials Omani payable at the beginning of the second semester.

Transportation

The Child Care Center provides a bus service for the families who live in Al- Khoud, Al- Mawalih and Al- Hail. A bus supervisor rides with the children to ensure their safety.
The bus driver determines the schedule based on the number of children to be picked up and the location of their homes. The bus must arrive at the Child Care Center by 7:30 a.m. Children who are to return home by bus will leave the Centre at 12:45 p.m.
Families requiring bus transport are requested to download the Transportation Form available on the website, fill it in and send it to c.c.c@squ.edu.om by the 25th of August at the latest.
Parents are requested to give the center ten days’ notice in case of any address change. The school cannot guarantee the bus service for the new home address.
Parents should notify the center one day in advance of changes to the pick up or drop off of their child. Phone: 24142781.

Forms

Withdrawal

To ensure that a child receives the full benefit of the program and the teachers-in-training meet the requirements of teaching practice, regular attendance of every child is expected. A child who has been late five times in one month or absent three times in one month, without a medical certificate, will be withdrawn from the program. He will be replaced by a child who will be punctual and attend regularly. A parent may withdraw a child from the program by giving one week’s prior notice.

Curriculum

The Child Care Center offers a program where concepts and skills are not learned in isolation. Children’s challenges are integrated into meaningful experiences, which relate to their real world. Children make natural connections between what they are learning and what they already know. They can thus more easily make links to the real world. These types of linkages can be greatly enhanced through guided learning situations. At the Child Care Center the program provides an integrated curriculum where the traditional subject areas and timetables are merged.

How is the program applied?

The C.C.C offers a bilingual program, based on individualized teaching where the unique interests, aptitudes and abilities are met. Children are organized in multi-age groupings between two classes which enable them to take on different roles in the classroom. The curriculum is highlighted by learning outcomes for each subject components. Hands-on activities allow children to handle, explore and experiment with concrete materials. Continuous and formative assessment tracks each student’s achievement through rubric levels associated with these subject components.

The Child Care

The library was established in February 2008 and started its services in June of the same year. It has a children section which contains age-appropriate bilingual stories and non-fiction materials, and an adult section which contains the most recent books in Early Childhood Education in both Arabic and English.

The library started with a small collection of books, the collection is continuously increased through online orders and local book exhibition and now we have around 3000 books and other materials.

The mission of the Child Care Center Library is to support Early Childhood Department students and their instructors with relevant materials for their research, teaching and learning. It also provides an environment where children learn to love and respect books and to develop a passion for reading.

Library system

The Library uses DESTINY software which is the perfect program for serving both children and adults in a small library. Destiny is used for Cataloging library materials, circulation of books in and out of the library and for searching for materials within the library. All library materials are classified according to the Dewey decimal classification system.

Library Rules and Regulations

Speaking softly is appreciated at all times as a respect to others.

Consumption of food and drinks is not permitted in the Library.
Mobile phone should be kept on silent.

Opening Hours

The library is open Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Borrowing Rules

Borrowing privileges are strictly limited to the Early Childhood Education Department students and their instructors, the Child Care Center’s staff and children enrolled in this program along with their parents. Library users have to present their SQU card to the circulation desk. The loan period varies according to patron type as in the chart below:

Borrower	Children’s collection	Adult collection	Total No. of Items	Loan Period (days)
Children	2	-	2	7
Students	2	2	4	14
Faculty Staff	5	5	10	21
CCC Staff	2	2	4	14
Parents	2	1	3	14

A borrowed item can be renewed once, provided no one else has reserved it. A renewed item will be recalled before the due date if someone else requests it. Reference resources and current issues of journals are not for loan.
No books or library materials may be taken out of the library until the book has been recorded. Unauthorized removal of library materials is regarded as a very serious offence.
Library materials borrowed must be returned on or before the due date as another user may need to borrow the same item.
As for Children, they will not be allowed to take new books unless the previous ones have been returned.

Loss and Damage

Please make sure that library materials are being taken care of. Books should be safe from dirt, writing, scribbling, gluing, bending or cutting pages!! Damaged or lost books will have to be replaced or paid for. In case you encounter any problem, please bring the book and show it to the librarian and it will be decided accordingly. Please do not try to fix a damaged book; it has to be done professionally. All books replaced must be of the latest edition. If the book is one of a set or series they may be called upon to replace the whole set or series. Parents are responsible for books checked out to their children.

Reading Stories

Reading stories to children is a memorable experience for both parents and children and it creates a strong relationship between them. It develops children’s imagination and listening skills. In addition, children learn values and behavior while listening to the stories.

Every week, your child will bring books home. This is an exciting milestone for your child; being allowed to choose stories appropriate to his /her age. The stories are for parents to read to their child. Therefore, we would recommend that you set a time not more than fifteen minutes every night where you can read both Arabic and English stories to your child for one week. Parents might get bored of repeating the same stories again and again but please be patient as this will help your child build proper language skills and gain new vocabulary while enjoying the stories.

Be careful with the way you are reading the story because it will have a big impact on your child. A child needs to look at the pictures while you are reading. Try to express the meaning with body language and different sounds to make it clear. Please make the story time fun and enjoyable. Discuss the stories with your child in the last two days before you bring them back. Together we can help to develop the love of reading in our children.