Children’s Discovery Center Opens Second Lowcountry Location

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Mount Pleasant, SC – Children’s Discovery Center opened its doors to a second location in Park West Wednesday, Sept. 9. Located at 3300 Stockdale Road in the growing Park West community, the new 12,000 sq. ft. center accommodates children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. The center’s interior designs ensure consistency in implementation of the Inspired Approach to Learning.

 

“We are excited to offer Lowcountry families an additional option for exceptional child care,” says Lois Rosenberry, founder and CEO of Children’s Discovery Center. “We are thankful to see growing success at our Venning Road center, and we are hopeful to see the same growth at our new Park West location.”

 

The center mirrors the same floor plan of the Venning Road location including children’s museum exhibits, a replica of the Ravenel Bridge and Charleston décor throughout the classrooms that reflect the local community, culture and surroundings. The Park West center also offers music, art and Spanish lessons weekly, and separate spaces for young infants, toddlers and preschool/pre-K students.

 

Children’s Discovery Center bases its methods and practices of early education on the world-renowned Reggio Emilia philosophy that empowers children and promotes physical, emotional, creative and intellectual growth. This refined approach to learning encourages children to use their 100 languages to see, touch, and do – to draw, paint, weave, plant, write, take photos, sculpt in clay and more. Children’s Discovery Center was the first to bring this educational philosophy to the Lowcountry when it opened its Venning Road center in 2013.

Mount Pleasant Premiere Child Care Center Hires Education Director

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Betsy_WebMount Pleasant, SC – Betsy McArdle has joined Children’s Discovery Center, a Mount Pleasant child care provider, as education director. A public school educator for 12 years, McArdle has worked in general and special education and administration in four different states.

As the education director for both the South Carolina and Ohio centers, McArdle will oversee classrooms to support lesson plans and collaborate with teachers in their planning of the Reggio-inspired projects.

The Mount Pleasant center, located off Venning Road and Highway 17, tailors its learning environment to the world-renowned Reggio Emilia philosophy. From the infant child care program to the fully certified kindergarten, Children’s Discovery Center serves children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

“I have had the blessing to have had my daughter enrolled at Children’s Discovery Center since opening day and have seen the center grow and evolve,” says McArdle. “The environment is always so welcoming, and when the opportunity presented itself for me to become a part of the team, I jumped on it!”

McArdle earned her bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s degree in educational administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She later earned an additional certification in early childhood education.

Education Director: Betsy McArdle

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IMG_1396Education director Betsy McArdle learned about Children’s Discovery Center while researching schools for her own daughter.

“It was the overall feel and commitment to an inquiry-based learning model that led us to immediately enroll our daughter,” she says. Since then, she’s watched the center grow and evolve.

“The environment was always so welcoming, so when there was an opportunity for me to become a part of the team, I jumped on it!”  A public school educator for 12 years, Betsy has worked in general, special education and administration settings in four different states. An early childhood educator for Ohio’s Lakota Local School District, she was part of a team that visited Italy to gain experience with the Reggio framework.

“It was the start of a journey to learn these practices and strive to implement inquiry-based learning into every learning environment I was a part of, including with my own children. The encouragement of students to become investigators, risk-takers and communicators is why I’m so invested in growing this approach.”

In her new position, Betsy ensures lesson plans support state standards and incorporates National Association for the Education of Young Children best practices and behavior management strategies.

“I collaborate with teachers to plan Reggio-inspired projects and aid in creating aesthetically pleasing learning environments. In the classroom, I coach and model teaching techniques. I’m involved with both the Mt. Pleasant and Ohio campuses, so I share plans and ideas from center to center.”

With two children now attending the center, she is thrilled with the care, love and support they receive.