Children’s Center
First Presbyterian Church Children’s Center
Licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
A Place for Children to…
- Learn
- Work
- Play
- Develop as a whole child
- Become involved in the lives of young children
- Form friendships
- Be herself/himself
The Children’s Center at First Presbyterian Church was opened on September 3, 1980, with five classrooms. Since then, the Children’s Center has adopted the mission to show the children, on a daily basis, aspects of Christian living and God’s love for each child through the teaching and example of the teachers, staff and members of the church staff. It is because of the excellent staff and mission that the center has grown and become one of the best in San Antonio.
Our Program:
- Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers (6 weeks—Age 5)
- Year-round care
- Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
- Qualified, nurturing, experience staff
- Developmentally appropriate curriculum
- Lunch and snacks
- Weekly music enrichment class
- Weekly chapel service
- Field Trips
- Special Summer Activities
Laura Ortiz
Director of Children's Center
Ms. Laura has been working in the Early Childhood field for 25 years. She has been a teacher with FPCC for the last 11 years. She was also an administrator before she came to FPCC. Ms. Laura received her Associates Degree in Child Development from San Antonio College in 2005. Later, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Child Studies from the University of the Incarnate Word in 2008, graduating Cum Laude. She will soon be going back to school once again work on her Master’s Degree. Ms. Laura is married and has two adult children. Her daughter attends college and her son recently joined the Navy. Ms. Laura enjoys spending time with family, volunteering at her church, and working out in her free time.
Elizabeth “Ellie” Lopez
Admin Assistant & Music Teacher
5 Years at FPCC
B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio 2013
Liz Ramirez
Lead Infant/Toddler Teacher- Room 102
19 Years at FPCC
Cynthia Urrutia
Lead Infant/Toddler Teacher- Room 117
17 Years at FPCC
Andrea Garcia
Lead Toddler/Twos Teacher- Room 115
4 Years at FPCC
Anna Esquivel
Lead Preschool Teacher- Room 122
23 Years at FPCC
Jennifer Garcia-Perez
Lead Twos Teacher – Room 116
4 years at FPCC
Justine Garza
Lead Infant Teacher – Room 104
2 years at FPCC
Elizabeth Cardona
Lead Toddler/Preschool Teacher - Room 119
1st year at FPCC
Our Philosophy:
- We believe each child is a unique individual and that children are happy and secure when they have plenty of opportunities to succeed each day.
- Success breeds self-confidence. Self-confident children approach learning as fun and then actively search for information and solutions to problems.
- We believe that the process of learning is as important as the content of learning. Because we focus on process learning, our activities are designed to emphasize the experiences children are having rather than the results from activities.
- We believe parents are the most significant adults in a child’s life, and we do everything possible to ensure parental involvement.
Our Curriculum:
The daily program provides for a variety of experiences, levels of difficulty and individual pacing. There is a balance of quiet/active, large/small muscle, child/staff initiated and large/small group activities. Learning center activities include: dramatic play, blocks, manipulatives, music, art, library, science, math, computers, and other experiences throughout each day. To help children reach their maximum potential, the center’s program uses authentic assessment in the planning of individualized experiences based on early learning standards for content areas, such as literacy, math, science, and social studies. Birth-to-three standards and benchmarks for early learning include the areas of communication, cognitive, social-emotional, creative expression, and motor development. The Children’s Center provides a variety of developmentally appropriate activities that emphasize concrete experimental learning to achieve the following goals:
- Foster positive self-concept
- Develop social skills
- Encourage children to think, reason, question and experiment
- Encourage language development
- Encourage and demonstrate sound health, safety and nutritional practices
- Enhance physical development and skills
- Encourage creative expression and appreciation for the arts
- Respect cultural diversity of children, families and staff
Promote early spiritual development of children with foundations based on trust, concern for and acceptance of others.
Accreditation / Standards:
The Children’s Center is accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs (a division of NAEYC). Accreditation represents the consensus of early childhood professionals regarding the definition of high-quality programs for young children. The program adheres to the Minimum Standard Rules for Child Care Centers and is licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The school is also certified as a “Texas School Ready” Program. This certification assures families that the school has the educational components in place to prepare their children to succeed.
How to Enroll:
If you would like more information about fees and enrollment, please email: Laura Ortiz, Director of Children’s Center, at laura0@fpcsat.org, or call 210-225-0960.
Spring Fling
April 12th 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM, At Magnolia Garden’s on Main, 2030 Main St, San Antonio, TX 78212, Tickets are on sale now!
Spring Fling is a fun, grown-up evening of food, wine, music, and fellowship — all for a good cause. Enjoy a delicious dinner, and two drink tickets with your $50 per person purchase. Additional drink tickets and wonderful auction items will be available for purchase at the event. All proceeds will benefit the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CHILDREN’S CENTER. Thank you for your support! Click here to buy your tickets now!
If you are unable to attend but would like to make a donation, please click the ticket link above, and choose the option “I am unable to attend but would like to make a donation.” This will take you to the online donation page.
