Program Offerings

Program Offerings Overview

The Children’s Center’s commitment to each child, each family, AND our community is evident throughout its programs. The Center promotes the philosophies of play-based learning and early childhood inclusion. We believe that play is essential to every aspect of a child's development. We also believe social and emotional development are essential for a child's well-being and life-long success. Our programs are inclusive environments. For example, a three-year-old who has met with failure in child care placements elsewhere becomes the focus of our qualified teachers and assistants, perhaps our special education teacher, and our site counselor–all dedicated to the child’s success in the preschool environment. The Center has garnered thousands of dollars over the years in order to have support aides for emotionally and socially challenged children who require help adjusting to a group setting. The Children’s Center understands that the early years are the most important in insuring each child’s success in school and happiness in life. Our commitment to each child and our community necessitates that we find and use all possible resources to provide meaningful help.

Housed at 180 South Main Street, The Children’s Center is convenient and central to Wolfeboro’s assets. Under the direction of veteran toddler teacher, Tanya Mills, our Infant Toddler Program provides quality early care and education to children ages six weeks to age three. Infant teacher to child ratios are 1-3. Toddler care follows with four age-appropriate classrooms and a teacher to child ratio of 1-5 with no more than 12 children per room.

The Center’s Preschool Program for children ages 3-5, led by veteran preschool teacher, Jana Bush, offers a robust preschool curriculum and experience with trained and experienced preschool personnel. The preschool morning focuses on readiness skills and throughout the school year the children explore literacy and language concepts, math skills, science and nature awareness, art and drama, independence skills and social studies through play in a free, yet guided, environment. Bilingual Boogie and music classes, trips to the “Book It” library, a playground to be proud of, and local field trips are additional benefits to the preschool program. Our children go on to kindergarten with confidence and with the skills to listen, follow directions, make good choices, interact cooperatively, and succeed academically. 

The Preschool Special Education Program is part of our inclusive preschool program and serves children between the ages of 3 and 5 who have been identified with educational disabilities. Children in the Preschool Special Education program spend the majority of their days in the preschool classrooms but also receive lessons and therapy from our on-staff special education team consisting of a Special Education Administrator, Special Education Teacher, Occupational Therapist, and Speech and Language Therapist. Having Preschool Special Education as a part of our program has served to benefit all of the children and the teaching staff. The support that the teaching staff receives from the Special Education team and continuing education has been key to the Center’s ability to detect potential learning difficulties at an early age when intervention has proven most effective.

Magic Moments Preschool is a morning-only program for ages 3 to 5 at the Lake's Region Technology Center in Wolfeboro. As the preschool is a collaboration with LRTC’s Careers in Education technical program, high school students interested in early childhood education are part of the learning experience. The program is taught by highly trained lead teacher Kara Cutter, and follows the GWRSD school-year calendar. 

Our School Age Program is among the best in the region. The Center provides before and after school programs and is in session throughout snow days, school holidays, early releases, and summer vacations. A large school age room, as well as a designated kindergarten classroom, is designed to offer activity choices for all interests. The summer program is active with regular beach, kayaking, biking and hiking trips. The Center’s goal has been to offer a program to children of this age that is far more attractive than being home alone. Many of the programs participants attend until completing sixth grade.

The Children’s Center serves breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack daily in compliance with the Center’s nutritional policy that limits fats, salt and sugar as well as providing whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Recommended portion sizes are encouraged as well.

The Children’s Center goes above and beyond providing quality early care and education. With a full-time site counselor/social worker on staff, any family who is struggling with parenting matters, personal crises, homelessness, financial hardship, chronic illness, etc. has a point person on staff. Our social worker serves not only as a source for resources and referral, but also provides individual and group counseling to children and parents free of charge. These services are available to Center families needing services.