First-Look Assessment of Texas A&M Childcare Center Integration

Becky Gates Children’s Center (BGCC) Hours of Operation

• Open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, totaling 50 hours per week.
• Two full-time teachers in each of its 12 classrooms, working either from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break.

Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center (CSCC) Hours of Operation

• Open from 7:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, totaling 53.75 hours per week.
• One full-time teacher and one teacher that floats between two classrooms with originally nine shifts but now five with a one-hour lunch break. CSCC is in the process of hiring more staff, so each classroom has two full-time teachers.
• Children are dropped off in the multipurpose room at 7:15 a.m. and are brought to a combined classroom at 7:30 a.m. The children arrive in their assigned classroom by 8:30 a.m. when most of the teachers are present. At 5:00 p.m., the classrooms combine, and at 5:30 p.m., children go to the multipurpose room for the last 30 minutes of the day with two teachers.

Becky Gates Children’s Center (BGCC)

• Combines HighScope Curriculum, project approach, Reggio Emilia approach, and Learn, Grow, Eat, & GO!
• Uses COR Advantage, a criterion-referenced and research-based assessment that has been proven valid and reliable through rigorous validation studies. COR Advantage is aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, Common Core State Standards, and early learning state standards and can be used with any developmentally appropriate curriculum.

Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center (CSCC)

• Uses Ready to Advance and Wonders for children ages 3-6 during the school year. The two-year old curriculum is unpublished. During the summer, an unpublished curriculum is used for all ages.
• A third party initially handled assessments, but now teachers do them in the Ready to Advance curriculum. Staff uses developmental screening tools for 2-year-olds due to the lack of a linked assessment.
• Offers three extracurriculars during school hours – Soccer Shots, Cook n Grow, and Natural History Museum – assisting in the promotion and collection of monies for third-party vendors without formal contracts or agreements.

Becky Gates Children’s Center (BGCC)

• Part of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), ensuring children receive healthy meals and snacks.
• Health Department inspects commercial kitchen every six months to uphold food permit.
• Staff undergo basic food handling training.
• The center follows a family-style meal approach, and the menus have received the highest level of recognition from the U.S. and Texas Departments of Agriculture (USDA/TDA).
• Children eat in classrooms at unified times: 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 2:30 p.m.

Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center (CSCC)

• Children eat in the multipurpose room, rotating four groups of three classrooms for snacks and meals.
• Center provides morning and afternoon snacks.
• Parents drop off lunch boxes for their children in the morning and pick them up at night.
• During lunch, teachers may warm food and open items for children. They usually don’t eat with the children.
• Limited refrigeration space creates a challenge when it comes to offering healthier snacks.
• Center has a non-commercial kitchen.
• CSCC bought commercial refrigerators to meet childcare licensing standards and USDA recommendations, introducing milk, yogurt, cheese, and fresh fruit/vegetables to updated menus. In addition, all CSCC staff now undergo food handlers training.
• Children have meals at 8:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., with each rotation involving three classrooms.

Staff Professional Development

• Both children’s centers’ staff are trained in their respective philosophy, curriculum, and assessment tools.
• BGCC is accredited by Cogina and has 4-stars (highest) in the Texas Rising Star (TRS) program.
• CSCC is not accredited and does not participate in TRS.

Becky Gates Children’s Center (BGCC)

• Fully owned and operated by Texas A&M, thereby does not pay a lease and receives annual building maintenance funding from the university.
• Safety work has been signed off and temporary air/heating units have been purchased.
• Parking lot has ample space for all staff and is overseen by TAMU Transportation.
• Kitchen does not have the capacity to serve both centers.
• Nature-based outdoor playgrounds have received state recognition by OLE! Texas and are in the process of applying for national recognition.
• Building exterior is in need of a fresh paint job.

Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center (CSCC)

• Only the childcare business is owned by TAMU, and the building space is leased with an average monthly cost of $45,000. The building owner pays for utilities and lawn maintenance while CSCC pays for custodial and surface-level maintenance issues. Even though CSCC does not get funding from the university, custodial and other SSC services are used.
• One office space and one storage room for three administrative roles plus 24 teachers and student workers. Storage closet has been cleared and is now a shared office space for 2 of the 3 administrative roles. Ideally, the administrative coordinator needs to be physically close to the main entrance to be of service to our customers and support the student employees at the front desk. In addition, the teachers do not have space to take a lunch break or space to complete work, including required online trainings.
• 21 parking spaces for the expected 28-29 full-time staff and no oversight by Transportation. There are also spaces on the CSCC 2nd floor side of the building; however, with classes now being taught, the spaces are filling up quickly.
• Two playgrounds. One with a large grassy area and gardening space along the fence and the other with a large and small climbing structure. Plans for 4 phases have been completed and funding options are being navigated.
• Signage is in the process of being updated.

Other Observations

• Transportation bus service with the University for the teacher education students does not make a stop near the Charlotte Sharp Center.
• There are no sidewalks between the two Centers; currently, to walk between the Centers, one would need to walk on the street.

Becky Gates Children’s Center (BGCC)

• One deficiency self-reported in 2020, none reported through annual childcare licensing inspections since 2018.
• Kitchen maintains a food permit through the Health Department and maintains a 99-100% score every six months.
• Complies with University Youth Programs for the Summer School Age program.
• Reaccredited every 5 years and reassessed for TRS every 3 years.

Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center (CSCC)

• Five deficiencies upon TAMU taking over the business, with all corrections made and accepted. The center had a follow-up inspection with zero deficiencies (this went under the old license number since the center’s new license was delayed). Changes were made to comply with licensing standards and staff are still learning those standards.
• No food permit.
• Not accredited nor is a TRS school.
• No locks on classroom doors, which is recommended by UPD for “stay safe” drills.

Other Observations

• Fire drills are conducted at both centers every month through TAMU Environmental Health and Safety. Quarterly “stay safe” and tornado drills are conducted independently at each site.
• Both centers now have Continuity Plans and Building Emergency Action Plan (BEAP).
• Neither center is addressed in the annual campus security report other than in the concealed carry section.
• To date, no security posture assessment has been conducted. Security posture assessment is scheduled with University Police Department for April 1, 2024.
• Center personnel may not be aware of media guidelines within the CEHD and TAMU which, in addition to outward-facing communications, also may be related to security concerns.

BGCC receives support from TAMU for building support, discounts for students, salary for half of the administrative coordinator, hourly wages for student employees, classroom materials and supplies, and technology replacement. In addition, the center has restricted gift accounts and foundation accounts. BGCC no longer receives SAFAB one-time funding.

CSCC is supported by parent tuition payments and the university is now covering the lease payment.

In progress – working to understand the current budget of both centers, plans in the works, future needs, current staffing, financial services being provided, etc.