Forks Education Center

With a commitment to nurturing the potential of children, and promoting youth development, healthy living, and fostering a sense of social responsibility, the Forks Education Center of the Easton/Phillipsburg Branch of the Greater Valley YMCA ensures that every individual has access to the essentials needed to learn, grow, and thrive, building a firm foundation for future success in school and throughout life.

The childcare options offered at the Forks Education Center are an infant program, a toddler program, a pre-school program, and a Pre-K Counts program. Each of these programs are managed and run by certified, caring adults, as safety is our highest priority. Our Education Center is a PA Keystone Star 4 program and is licensed by the Department of Human Services.

The Y provides high quality early childhood that enhances youth development, which includes:

• New classroom technology: Smart Boards and iPads
• Enrichment Programs: Support all Child Development Domains
• Family Fun Nights
• Curriculum: Aligns with PA DOE Early Learning Standards
• Annual Health Screenings: Dental, Hearing, Vision and Speech
• Parent Education Workshops
• Over 150 community partnerships supporting youth development

FORKS EDUCATION CENTER CONTACTS

Site Director- Julie Novick

PKC & ITCS Assistant Director- Kristen Mayberry

Pre-K Counts Director- Erin Leeds

Vision Statement

With a commitment to nurturing the potential of children and promoting youth development, healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility; the Y ensures that every individual has access to the essentials needed to learn, grow and thrive building a firm foundation for future success in school and throughout life.

Curriculum Statement

Curriculum will create a unique learning environment that will stimulate children’s curiosity while reinforcing essential academic standards, supported by an understanding of children’s learning styles, interests, and PA Early Learning Standards.

The curriculum is designed to provide myriad activities to enhance cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, ultimately contributing to school readiness.

Early Childhood Education: Child development theory and scientific research are the foundations of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool. Numerous research studies have been conducted to validate its effectiveness. We want children to become independent, self-confident, curious learners who can work well with others. We’re teaching them how to learn, not just in school, but in the community and all through their lives. We discover the unique significance of a child’s gender, temperament, interests, learning style, life experiences, culture, language and special needs, to build a positive relationship that enables each to thrive. We do this by creating purposeful and productive play experiences that help children grow in all areas.

Social/Emotional: to help children develop independence, self- confidence and self-control, follow rules and routines, make friends, and learn what it means to be part of a group.
Physical: to increase children’s large muscle skills – balancing, running, jumping, throwing, and catching – and use the small muscles in their hands for daily tasks like buttoning, stringing beads, cutting drawing, and writing.
Cognitive: to acquire thinking skills such as the ability to solve problems, to ask questions, and to think logically – sorting, classifying, comparing, counting, and making patterns – and to use materials and their imagination to show what they have learned.
Language: to use words to communicate with others, listen to and participate in conversations with others, understand the purpose of print, recognize letters and words, and begin writing for a purpose. Through activities we plan and the way we organize the classroom, select materials, plan the daily schedule, and interact with the children, we seek to accomplish the goals of our curriculum and give your child a successful start in school.