Cottage Health 2020 Culture Audit

Onsite Child Care UPDATED: The Orfalea Children’s Center at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is proud to be entering its 39th year of offering high quality child development programs for the children of Cottage Health employees. In 1981, Cottage paved the way for employer-sponsored childcare in Santa Barbara County when it opened a preschool next to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Ten years later, in response to a growing need for infant and toddler care, Cottage expanded the services to include younger children. In July 2007, the center moved to a beautiful new building made possible by a generous donation by the Orfalea Family Foundation. The Orfalea Children’s Center at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital strives to create a respectful, compassionate partnership with the families and children of Cottage Health employees. We focus on creating a home-away-from-home for children by providing responsive, individualized care. Children are invited to freely explore their world through a framework of emergent curriculum. We seek to foster self-esteem by building a safe, nurturing and enriching environment. The center’s unique programs offer care in six age-appropriate classrooms: two infant, one toddler and three preschool. There are currently 108 children enrolled at the center. Our curriculum is child centered, meaning that we observe the child’s interests and build his or her learning around those interests. We believe that “what the hands do, the heart learns” and our entire curriculum – from infant through preschool - supports that belief. The preschool program at our center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Our center is also a model for infant and toddler care throughout California. In 1994 the center was certified by Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE). Presently, we are one of a handful of centers practicing the RIE philosophy. We are also a designated site for the Outdoor Classroom Project, serving as a model for other schools for implementation of outdoor curriculum. We are committed to supporting the children’s learning in as natural an environment as possible. We strongly believe that educating the child and caring for the child are inseparable. There is often a misperception in our society that child care is custodial while preschool is educational. What we know is that high quality, responsive, intellectually stimulating programs (whether they be labeled school or child care) are doing the same things - simultaneously caring for and educating young children. The two go hand in hand. All in the Cottage Family – Bob, Elise and Juliet “We both work for Cottage Health, and we couldn’t do it without the child care center. Juliet loves coming, and it’s extremely convenient for us.” – Bob Behbehanian, Cottage Health Marketing Director and Elise Behbehanian, Cottage Health IT applications. 101/119 Start | Contents | Highlights | Business Description | Hiring & Welcoming | Inspiring | Speaking | Listening | Thanking | Developing | Caring | Celebrating | Sharing • Caring 6.31