Note from the President

SER Child Development Center has held as a sacred trust its mission to reduce cultural, educational, and language barriers of young children at risk of performing poorly in school bactrim.  Through several highly-focused bi-literacy programs, SER prepares both children and adults for brighter, more productive futures in school and in the world of work combivent.

The need for high-quality early education programs in Dallas County is expanding while the capacity for the child care industry to meet these needs is decreasing.  In United Way’s 2006 Community Needs Assessment report, researchers found that childcare provider slots in Dallas County decreased by 14%, at the same time the child population increased by 21%.  Indeed, there are currently only 1.7 childcare facilities for every 1000 children in Dallas County.  Further, the number of high-quality, Texas Rising Star certified providers has decreased by 15%.  Clearly, demand for child care far outstrips the ability of the system to provide it.  And it has become more difficult for providers to meet the stringent standards and teacher/child ratios indicative of exemplary early education programs.

There is one component of early education where a new challenge has arisen to the viability of 4 year old pre-school programs co-located with childcares. Like many Dallas early education providers, SCDC has experienced a growing competition for 4 year old kindergarten students to fill classroom slots.  As local DISD schools expand their PreK-4year old programs (providing free kindergarten and certified teachers for 4 year olds), SCDC has lost paying children from its pre-school program.  This loss jeopardizes the financial viability of the center (as classrooms for 3 and 4 year olds, with their higher teacher/child ratios, help to subsidize the cost of infant/toddler classrooms, with their lower teacher/child ratios, at the center).  In anticipation of this challenge, SCDC partnered three years ago with TEEM.  That partnership expanded this past year from one to two pre-school classrooms.  Also, SCDC initiated meetings during 2007 with DISD to encourage a partnership in two K4 classrooms (which would involve a certified DISD teacher ½ day for each pre-school classroom) at SCDC in Fall 2008.

A robust early education provider, such as SCDC, requires enrollment of children at all age levels in order to balance costs for teacher/child ratios across the agency.  Should the center lose the majority of its  pre-schoolers to DISD, the center would no longer be able to afford the operational costs of programs for children 6 week to 3 years of age.  A partnership with DISD is imperative for the overall health of organization and its survival into the next decade.  As we move into 2008, SCDC’s board of directors and administration will stay focused on establishing a relevant and mutually beneficial partnership with DISD.

Additionally, to meet future challenges and position itself for an ever changing environment, SCDC will continue to explore diversifying its sources of revenue.  To remain a viable, robust program serving disadvantaged Hispanic and minority families in Dallas County, SCDC must explore and examine expansion, merger, and program diversification opportunities. These challenges will require SCDC to be led by a strong and active board of directors committed to the future of SCDC and to meeting the needs of disadvantaged children throughout Dallas County. 

Recently, the SCDC board has repopulated itself with experienced, vigorous,  and committed leadership.  SCDC will soon celebrate its 10th year of operation.  SCDC looks forward to a bright future, full of opportunity, and with its strong organizational leadership, will meet the present challenges and position itself to remain a premier early education (and bi-literacy) provider for Dallas County.