Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center
Ages of Children Served
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center serves children 6 weeks up to 5 years.
Schedule and Hours
The hours of operation for Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center are from 6:30 A.M. – 7:30 P.M. Monday – Friday.
We will be closed 4 Professional Learning Days each year and on the following holidays each year:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- July 4th
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center Administration
Director — Kathy Ashley
Kathy Ashley has been in the early education industry for two decades as a teacher, director and regional manager. For the past decade, Kathy has been the director of Little Prodigies Child Development Center in Athens where she assisted in the opening and daily operations of the center. Prior to Little Prodigies, Kathy was a director and regional manager with a Sikes Childcare Centers and The Sunshine House Child Development Centers in the Atlanta Metro area.
Kathy has a passion for children and being a part of their daily growth and development as well as building long-lasting relationships with families. She is a member of the Georgia Child Care Association and is constantly learning about the ever-evolving world of early childhood education. Kathy is a wife and mother of 4 children. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, watching her children play sports and cooking. Kathy and her family reside in Monroe, GA.
Kathy is very excited to begin working with the Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center families as well as continue her relationships with the Athens community! You may contact Kathy at director.piedmontchildcare@gmail.com or (706) 255-6036.
Assistant Director — Robyn Lang
Robyn Lang is the Assistant Director of Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center. She graduated from UGA with a Bachelor’s in Education in 2010. Robyn has worked at Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center since it opened in 2018. Her husband works at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center and is enjoying his 15th year as anemployee. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, playing games with her family, and reading. You may contact Robyn at asstdir.piedmontchildcare@gmail.com or (706) 255-6036.
President — Wes Zwirn
Wes Zwirn is the President of the Prodigies Child Care Management where he is responsible for the overall success and operations of the company. He is actively involved in each center under the PCCM umbrella.
Wes holds a master’s degree from the University of Georgia in Agricultural Economics. Wes and his wife, Jennifer, have owned and operated three other childcare centers in the Athens area since 2009. They started their first childcare center with the hopes of offering their own children a unique and high quality childcare experience. In many ways, that center’s success proved to be the model for each of PCCM’s center operations. You may contact Wes via email at wes@athenschildcare.com.
Mission & Values
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center’s goal is to offer first-class childcare and to provide a warm, engaging learning environment to the children of Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center staff as well as to families of the Athens community.
Curriculum
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center strives to meet individual academic and developmental milestones by using the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS). Each week our classroom teachers create their lesson plans and turn them in for review and approval from the Administration. Lesson plans incorporate each of the following developmental areas: Social/Emotional, Cognitive, Language and Physical Development. To learn more about The Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards, visit their website at: www.GELDS.decal.ga.gov
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center Standards
Our childcare program is licensed by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and operates based on the most stringent standards of national accrediting childcare associations with regard to child-to-teacher ratios, classroom sizes, and teacher training.
Ratios and sizes
| Group | Teacher to Child Ratio | Maximum Number of Children Per Room |
|---|---|---|
| Infants | 1:4 | 8 |
| Young Toddlers | 1:4 | 12 |
| Older Toddlers | 1:6 | 18 |
| 3 & 4 year old | 1:9 | 18 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your teacher to child ratio?
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center follows the most stringent standards of national accrediting childcare associations pertaining to teacher to child ratios. Lower ratios will allow our teachers to interact with our children more. More teacher interaction will result in our children learning more (and faster) and will give our children comfort in this very critical developmental age.
- Our infant classrooms have 8 children at maximum capacity with 2 teachers, yielding a teacher to child ratio of 1:4. Bright from the Start mandates a ratio of 1:6.
- Our Young Toddler classrooms have 12 children at maximum capacity with 3 teachers, yielding a ratio of 1:4. Bright from the Start mandates a ratio of 1:8.
- Our Older Toddler classrooms have a maximum capacity of 18 children with 3 teachers, yielding a ratio of 1:6. Bright from the Start mandates a ratio of 1:10.
- Our three-year-old and four-year-old classrooms have 18 children at maximum capacity with 2 teachers, yielding a ratio of 1:9. Bright from the Start mandates a ratio of 1:15.
How many children does Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center enroll?
There are 76 spots available at Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center.
How do I get into the building?
There will be restricted access at all exterior doors.
How do I sign my child in/out every day?
Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center uses a touch-screen software system to log each child’s daily entrance and exit times. Parents create their own 4-8 digit Parent Access Code and 4-8 digit Password to clock their child in/out.
Does Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center have security cameras?
Yes. Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center is equipped with multiple security cameras throughout the Center. Cameras are in all classrooms, hallways and playgrounds. While the camera system is not available to parents over the internet, the video feed is recorded internally and can be recalled by the Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center director for a limited time period. The camera system is always in place to ensure your child’s safety within the Center.
Do you provide meals?
We provide two meals and two snacks per day for our children; breakfast, lunch, afternoon and early evening snacks. Meals will be prepared on site in our kitchen and each week’s menu will be posted on the bulletin board in the lobby. Each meal will meet the nutritional guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Child Care Food Program. Nutrition is very important at Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center and meals will be prepared with a health-conscious approach using fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible as well as whole-grain breads.
What do I (the parent) need to do before I bring my child on the first day?
Below is a checklist for you:
- A complete enrollment form with no blanks.
- Read the Parent Handbook.
- Immunization Record on the Georgia 3231 form (if you do not have this your pediatrician can provide you with this). This can be provided to the center up to 2 weeks after enrollment.
- Provide your child’s classroom with the following:
- Infants: at least 3 changes of clothes, diapers and wipes, diaper cream, pacifier (if applicable), sunscreen, bottles (pre-made) and baby food (all bottles and food need to be labeled with the child’s name and that day’s date), and a completed infant feeding plan.
- One year olds and up: At least 3 changes of clothes (underwear, outerwear, shoes, socks, etc.), and water bottle, blanket, sunscreen, diapers/pull-ups/diaper cream/wipes (if applicable).
How experienced is your staff?
Full-Time Staff
- Lead Teachers – have a CDA (child development associate)/TCC (technical certificate of credit – early childhood care education basics) or above
- Assistant Teachers – must have high school diploma paired with childcare experience
Part-Time Staff
- Assistant Teachers – must have high school diploma paired with childcare experience
Additionally, each of our teachers will complete 10-20 hours of annual training and bring their own unique life-experiences and styles of teaching to Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center.
Does your staff know CPR?
Yes. It is required by Bright from the Start that 100% of the staff knows infant CPR. It should also comfort you knowing that we know people at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center in the event of an emergency! Emergency procedures have been written for many different emergency situations and each employee knows what to do in the event of an emergency. These emergency procedures are posted in the lobby at Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center.
We also practice evacuations (fire drills) monthly and tornado every six months.
What do I do if my child is sick or gets sick mid-day?
We all know children often play very closely together and one sick child can very easily make another child sick. For that reason Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center cannot care for a child that shows signs of a fever or communicable disease. If your child shows any of the symptoms of a communicable illness / disease, 101 degree or higher oral temperature, diarrhea, rash, sore throat and/or any other symptom prior to arriving at Piedmont Athens Regional Child Development Center please keep them at home until they have been symptom free for 24 hours.
If we notice your child starts to show symptoms while in our care we will separate the child from the group and notify the parent or authorized adult by phone to pick up the child. Parents should pick up the child no more than one hour from the time of notification. The child can return after they have been symptom free for 24 hours.