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Helen Gordon Center keeps kids smiling while parents in class The Helen Gordon Child Development Center pro­ vides a quality child devel­ opment program for the chil­ dren of PSU students, faculty and staff. The first goal of the the program, according to the program's guidelines, is "to meet the needs of stu­ dent parents for an afford­ able, high-quality, full-day preschool program which operates in accordance with current early childhood re­ search and theory." As PSU is an urban uni­ versity with an older than average student population, many of our students need child care services. Denise Duncan is just one example of a PSU student who is taking advan­ tage of the Helen Gordon Center. "My decision to enroll at PSU was largely influenced by the fact that the Helen Gordon Child Development Cen­ ter was the campus-affiliated day care center. Before transferring to PSU, I'd heard many good things about Helen Gordon. It has an excellent reputation. Besides being on campus, which makes my life much easier, it is affordable and has a superior staff and a superior cur­ riculum. The anti-bias emphasis that the center incorporates into its curriculum plays an essential role in how I want to Batter up! raise my daughter," Duncan said. "My daughter was on the waiting list to get into Helen Gordon for two years. This is a testimony to how badly I want­ ed my daughter in the center! It was well worth waiting for. I am very pleased with the quality of care my daughter receives and feel very fortu­ nate to have her in Helen Gordon. And, she loves it!" Duncan said. One way that the Helen Gordon Cen­ ter ensures quality care for the next gen­ eration of Vikings, is to improve upon the Oregon state standard that requires a 1:10 teacher-child ratio. The Helen Dan Martin Gordon Center provides a 1:4 teacher- to-child ratio in their program for 2-to- 3-year-olds and a 1:6 teacher-to-child ratio for their 3-to-6-year-olds. Having more teachers enables the center to give better care. Elbe Nolan, director of the Helen Gordon Center, says that their anti-bias curriculum sets them apart from other day care centers. The program stresses understanding diversity through litera­ ture, art and play. The program attempts to teach young children positive and ap­ propriate ways to solve conflict. —Michele Vowell 95