Tender Hearts Child Care and Group Home
Tender Hearts Child Care Center and Tender Hearts Group Home are an extension of Gove County Medical Center (GCMC). The GCMC child care facilities are private, non-profit agencies that are operated by a Board of Trustees, the Hospital Administrator (CEO), the Human Resource Director, and the Child Care Director.
The majority of the funding for the GCMC child care facilities comes from child care fees. GCMC monitors the financial aspects of the programs and maintains both facilities. Tender Hearts Child Care Center and Tender Hearts Group Home serve as one entity.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide the best experiences to help your child grow and discover their abilities. Tender Hearts is dedicated to providing high quality care to each child. High quality care helps the child develop both their mind and body in a safe and nurturing environment. Each lead teacher has the knowledge and experience to provide stimulating activities to enhance this development as well as skills needed to nourish social interactions.
Activities
All of the staff at Tender Hearts Child Care facilities know and understand the importance of early brain development. It is from this knowledge that daily lesson plans are created and implemented. Each day your child will have the opportunity to participate in the following areas of early childhood development:
- Language: circle time, finger plays, letter sounds, songs, reading books.
- Social Emotional: playing games together, taking turns, sharing, manners, and self-help skills
- Cognitive: puzzles, patterning, alphabet activities, counting, color and shape recognition.
- Large Motor: parachute play, tummy time, balance beam, toss and catch, dancing.
- Small motor: lacing cards, beads, tracing, pincer grasp, cutting, and using silverware.
- Sensory: shaving cream, noodles, rice, pudding, feathers, play dough and buttons.
- Art: painting, glue, stickers, cutting, creating with different materials.
In addition to the activities listed on daily lesson plans, there will also be time for free play. Free play provides an opportunity for children to direct their own learning. Weekly lessons plans are posted in each classroom on the parent information board. If you have any questions about the activities your child is exploring please ask. If you would like to volunteer to assist in an activity, please speak to your child’s teacher about setting up a time.
Special Opportunities
The children at the Tender Hearts facilities engage in several out of facility activities. The children go to the library for story hour, the City Park and the playground at the school. The kids enjoy going to picnics and swimming, as well as organizing a lemonade stand in front of the hospital. Additionally, Tender Hearts Child Care facilitates a very special intergenerational relationship between the children and the residents of our Long Term Care facility called Grandfriends.