Gnocchi with roasted tomato-wild mushroom sauce from Ristorante Avanti, a gift certificate donor for Saturday's fundraiser
Santa Cruz Toddler Care Center (TCC), for babies and toddlers aged 1-3, was just named best Santa Cruz child care center in the 2012 Good Times Santa Cruz readers’ poll. Administrative Director Sandy Davie has been a TCC employee since 1990. “My life as a parent was greatly enriched by quality child care,” Davie says. “My goal at the Toddler Center is to provide the same kind of community connection and support to other parents of young children.”
The event is at TCC (1738 16th Avenue near Capitola Road) from 9:30 a.m. – noon. Admission is $8 per adult, $4 for kids 4-12, and free for kids 3 and under. Breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, local fresh berries (donated by Watsonville’s Driscoll’s Strawberries), coffee from Peet’s, and organic tea from Far Out Flying Saucer Teas. There will be African drumming lead by Ibou Ngom, face painting, gift baskets to bid on, and a silent auction. Items up include restaurant gift certificates from Café Cruz, Ristorante Avanti, Linda’s Seabreeze Café, Dharma’s, Café Sparrow, Engfer Pizza Works, Gayle’s, Shadowbrook, Walnut Avenue Café, and The Picnic Basket. Other prizes include items from local businesses and a Private Barrel Tasting & Vineyard Tour for 6 at Windy Oaks Estate Winery and Vineyard (includes artisanal cheese to complement the wines).
All proceeds benefit the Toddler Care Center (TCC). In 1976, two women who were concerned about the lack of quality care for very young children established TCC as a non-profit. TCC is for children ages 1-3, and bases its vision and methods on the model of the RIE program (Resources for Infant Educarers) founded by infant specialist/educator Magda Gerber and pediatric neurologist Tom Forrest, MD. RIE’s philosophy focuses on respect for, and trust in, the baby to be an initiator, explorer, and self-learner.
TCC states that educators and administrators from as far away as New Zealand and Japan have visited the center; professionals in the field describe TCC as a model childcare program.
Here is TCC’s mission statement; for more information, check out the organization’s web site.
The primary mission of the Santa Cruz Toddler Care Center is to address this community’s critical need for quality, affordable child care for children 12-36 months old whose parents must work, attend school or training programs. The Santa Cruz Toddler Care Center’s secondary purpose is acting as a model to other childcare centers throughout the community, the state, and the nation.
The Details
Annual Spring Pancake Breakfast at Santa Cruz TCC
Saturday, May 12 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
1738 16th Avenue near Capitola Road, Santa Cruz
$8 Adults, $4 kids 4-12, kids 3 & under free
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