Parents who want to develop healthy, nurturing parenting skills and avoid the risk of mistreatment or neglect, bring their children to Casa de Amparo’s Hayward Child Development Center (HCDC) for therapeutic child care, pre-school and family support.

The Hayward Child Development Center is one of only two such prevention programs funded by the California Department of Education.

Services

For parents:

• Counseling
• Family enrichment and parent education classes

For Casa Kids:

• Therapeutic child care and pre-school
• Arts and crafts
• Play and recreation
• Healthy meals and snacks
• Low child-to-teacher ratio
• Social skills training
• Play therapy
• Kindergarten readiness

Casa Kids at the CDC

• From families at-risk of abuse or neglect
• 18 months to 5 years of age
• Primarily from North County homes

The Program and Facility

• Founded in 1980
• Relocated to the Family Services and Hayward Child Development Center in 2007
• Military Support Program added in 2009, provides counseling, parent enrichment education and preschool for children and families of members of the military facing physical, emotional and financial hardship due to injuries suffered during the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
• Serves up to 32 Casa Kids and their parents at a time
• Three classrooms accommodating different ages
• Fully landscaped playground

Referrals and Fees:

• Referrals are through the California Department of Education’s centralized eligibility list  (www.childcaresandiego.com), and from parents, San Diego Child Welfare Service social workers, and licensed professionals (MFT, LCSW, RN, MD). Referrals can also be made directly to the CDC
• Low cost or no fee, determined on sliding scale
• Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.