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Creative Beginnings
Celebrating 20 years of pioneering day care
at Fox Chase Cancer Center
Contribute to the 20th Anniversary Commemorative Yearbook.
Creative Beginnings Graduates - Where are they now?
Teachers Remember
On September 23, 1981 an experiment began. The laboratory, however, was different than usual and there were no scientists in white jackets
crouching over microscopes or test tubes. In this laboratory children played, learned, laughed and discovered their own talents.
They flourished under the care of a devoted staff, some of whom remain today. Twenty years
after this day care facility for the children of Fox Chase Cancer Center employees opened its doors, the Creative Beginnings experiment has become
the model for day care excellence.
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| The early days - young artists at the easel |
Throughout the year Fox Chase Cancer Center will commemorate Creative Beginnings' anniversary and celebrate the many memories and
success stories that began with a Richard Scarry story book, a few pet turtles or a finger paint set. We will interview
parents, teachers and alumni and give updates on the progress of children who began their learning at Creative Beginnings.
In 1981 Creative Beginnings opened its doors to fewer than half a dozen children. Today there are over 110 children from infancy to
age six in two locations. The staff has grown as well from three to 29.
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| Chinese New Year celebration - February 2001 |
Each day the children of researchers, medical doctors, nurses, and professional staff
mingle at this model of child care excellence. Creative Beginnings has served as an
example to employers across the area and has consistently exceeded the Pennsylvania
Department of Welfare early childhood education requirements.
Creative Beginnings also maintains national accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Academy administers a national, voluntary, and professionally sponsored accreditation system for all types of preschools, kindergartens, child care centers, and school-age child care programs.
Parents are in agreement also that no better value existed when it came to child care, and they continue to appreciate the added benefit of being easily accessible to their children while at work. Both Creative Beginnings locations are merely a few moments walk or drive from the main campus of the Cancer Center.
Virtually every ethnicity and geography is represented and it has been observed by parents that children
who begin their learning at Creative Beginnings surpass academic expectations once enrolled in school.
While there is currently a short waiting list for admission to Creative Beginnings, it wasn't always that way.
The original staff thought under-enrollment was going to be a problem, but within four months of opening
there was waiting list of 35 children. Moreover, it was discovered that employee demand was greatest for
infant and toddler care. In its first two years, Creative Beginnings expanded to five classrooms.
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| Time for exercise - October 1989 |
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