Children’s Village FAQs

We are fully licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. We are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and are proud to maintain a STAR-4 (the highest) rating from the Keystone STARS, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning.

Yes. While Children’s Village is certainly convenient for hospital employees, our school comprises children from the entire community.

Yes. As an inclusive childcare center, we accept children with special needs throughout our program. If your child has an ISSP or IEP, please let us know at the time of enrollment.

Yes. All children are welcome at Children’s Village, regardless of the language spoken at home. In addition to encouraging, we take measures like labeling classroom items like chairs and tables in both languages to help your child feel more at home.

We follow the Central Bucks School District’s age requirement for academic enrollment, which means your child would need to turn three by September 1st of the school year to enter preschool that year. The same rule applies to pre-kindergarten (age four by September 1st) and kindergarten (age five by September 1st).

Our curriculum includes a heavy emphasis on play. We incorporate the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards into our program. We meet all national, state, and local requirements and include Reading, Writing, Math, Library, Computer, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art, and P.E. Our degreed teachers prepare each child intellectually, socially, and emotionally to successfully enter first grade.

Ensuring the security of all our children is one of our top priorities. We take strict measures to ensure that our property reflects this goal. Our buildings are locked at all times. Our main entrance is monitored and accessed via buzzer only. Families are assigned individual codes for our touchscreen keypad. Arrangements must be made for alternative pick-up in case of emergency.

We only close six major holidays during the year and do not charge for these days. These holidays are Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. We do not close for inclement weather.

Minimum attendance is three half-days per week, with a half-day considered four hours. Our 44-week minimum requirement means that Children’s Village is perfect for children of teachers who are off in the summer months.

Since our school runs year-round, summer “school” is really more like camp. During the summer months, we take school outside for lots of refreshing water-based experiences with sprinklers, water tables, wet sponge tosses, and playground bike “car washes.”

No. However, we provide two nutritious snacks daily following USDA guidelines over the course of a week to balance fruit, protein, and carbohydrates. Our beverage is predominantly milk. Water is always available, and juice is offered on special occasions.

We can warm up nutritious food brought from home in our infant and toddler classrooms. Containers should be labeled with your child’s name. We also refrigerate food as needed; parents may also pack an ice pack in their children’s lunch.

Yes. All staff are fully trained in medication administration.

All staff maintain current pediatric first aid and infant/child CPR certifications.

Yes. Children with food allergies are welcome in all classrooms. While we are not an allergen-free center, we use allergy management protocols at the classroom level to ensure the safety of all children.

For information on tuition, please email pmdh-childrensvillageforms@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or call us at 215-345-2678.

Pennsylvania families are eligible for financial assistance for childcare offered by the Child Care Information Services (CCIS). CCIS will pay part of your childcare cost if you meet its guidelines. You must complete an application and submit it to the CCIS office. If you have questions about CCIS, you can contact our Business Manager at 215-345-2678.

Yes. This discount also applies to twins in the same program.

We offer flexible hours to meet the needs of working parents. Drop-off can be as early as 6:15 am, with late pick-up by 6:30 pm for all children.

A school-aged camp is offered on a limited basis for graduates of Children’s Village. Please contact our director by email pmdh-childrensvillageforms@pennmedicine.upenn.edu for more information.

The teacher-to-child ratio is as follows:

• Infants: one teacher to four children
• Young toddlers: one teacher to five children
• Older toddlers: one teacher to six children
• Preschool/pre-kindergarten/kindergarten: one teacher to 10 children

Maximum group sizes:

• Younger toddlers, age 1: maximum of 10
• Older toddlers, ages 2: maximum of 12
• Preschool/pre-kindergarten: 20 children maximum
• Kindergarten: varies annually based on enrollment

Project Approach, or our philosophy, is our child-led, play-based strategy for curriculum development.