Respond, Inc.

Respond, Inc. Child Development Centers serve families with affordable, high quality childcare services in Camden City and County. We provide for more than 750 infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and Camden Board of Education 3-and 4-year olds. In addition, before and after school and summer camp programs provide care for another 100 youngsters from age 5 through 12.

Eleven Child Care Centers in Camden City include: Bank Street, East Camden, Fairview Village, Firehouse, Leaps & Bounds, Linden, Parkade, Vine Street, State Street, Stockton and Washington & Williams. In addition, nine centers provide twenty, 3 and 4-year old classrooms for the Camden Board of Education. Centers in Merchantville and Winslow provide our two child care centers in Camden County.

Offering Quality, Affordable Child Care:

*Each of our 13 centers offers comprehensive, high quality childcare. Our qualified, conscientious and multicultural staff provides children and their parents with a sound educational beginning, as well as health, social, and community services.Each center is staffed by an administrative director and teachers certified in early childhood education along with trained support staff; each center provides a program of sound nutrition for its children; each center is licensed by the state of New Jersey Department of Youth and Family Services. There are bilingual staff in each center serving children from bilingual families. In addition, Respond, Inc. makes transportation services available to families who need it.

Early Childhood Curriculum:

*Respond, Inc. child care centers follow an early childhood curriculum that helps children to acquire a balanced range of age appropriate development skills. To encourage good language development, teachers involve children in activities that sharpen their listening and speaking abilities.

Special Infant and Toddler Care:

*Our infant and toddler programs provide nurturing, daily activities in language, fine and gross motor, intellectual and social/emotional skills to stimulate early learning and growth. Our trained staff of early childhood providers meets the developmental needs of infants from birth up to three years of age.

3 and 4-Year-Old Board of Education Classrooms:

*In the fall of 1998, Respond opened four classrooms for 4-year-old children following the guidelines of the Abbott District ruling, expanding to include 3-year-olds in September of 1999. Currently there are 20 BOE classrooms at Respond centers. These classes follow Camden City Board of Education curriculum requirements, and each is taught by a certified teacher and classroom aide.

Continuing Staff Development and Center Accreditation:

*Following the curriculum requirements and guidelines of the NJ Dept. of Education and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Respond offers its child care staff an opportunity to obtain certification in Early Childhood or the CDA Certification. In addition, Respond’s Child Care programs are engaged in a process that will lead to national program accreditation from the NAEYC.

Parents and Community Involvement:

*At each center a policy advisory committee, composed of parents and other community members, has input into the operation. In this way, parents have a voice in helping each center set goals and develop priorities for the care of their children.

CPCY – Community Partners for Camden Youth

• Team Mentoring
• Career Orientation
• Responding Appropriately with Parents (R.A.P.)
• Community Orientation Course

Fees:

*The costs of Respond’s childcare services may be partially paid by employers or by programs in which parents participate. Weekly fees for infants and toddler programs are determined by a sliding scale based on family size and income. There is no fee for children who qualify for the Abbott Preschool Program.