No job is more rewarding than working with children. Just ask any Camden childcare director and their dedication is clear. However, along with the rewards of making Camden children’s lives better, comes the chaos and pressure of running a childcare center. The city’s 62 Camden childcare directors give countless hours to meetings for planning, organizing and preparing programs. Additionally, these Camden directors have generously contributed their efforts to the Rutgers University Center for Children and Childhood Studies’ Camden Campaign for Children’s Literacy.

Community input and support remains an important cornerstone of the RU-CCCS philosophy. A new part of the Childcare Literacy Training addresses the need for directors to network in a less formal setting, while also having the opportunity to guide and respond to the upcoming plans and current developments of CCCL’s Childcare Training Program. CCCL created and implemented a director’s retreat to meet these needs.

The most recent retreat was held August 13th. Participants attended a private docent tour of the Chester County Historical Society’s Underground Railroad Museum. After lunch, two special presentations were made. Callie Williams of the Settlement School for Musical Arts in Camden talked about free workshops available to Camden childcare centers and also discussed the range of music programs available at discounted rates for Camden families. CCCL looks forward to hosting additional retreats in the coming months.