UH Parma Medical Center’s Health Education Center consolidates childcare center

PARMA, Ohio — For more than 40 years, UH Parma’s Childcare Center has been the first school for thousands of children and grandchildren of hospital caregivers and community members.

Located in the UH Parma Medical Center’s Health Education Center, the childcare area recently received a major renovation designed with children’s safety and staff efficiency in mind.

“Within the Health Education Center, there are many departments — nursing education, EMS paramedic training program — spread throughout the building,” Childcare Center Manager Leah Anastasakis said.

“We decided to consolidate the childcare center into one area. We swapped rooms with some of the departments so we could consolidate the childcare center into the one hallway with the same number of 10 classrooms.”

Funded by the Parma Hospital Health Care Foundation, the effort is designed to help with oversight of the classrooms, as well as supervision and security.

The latter now boasts one point of key card entry for parents dropping off and picking up children.

The center boasts a legacy of excellence, reinforced by a Five-Star rating in the State of Ohio’s Step Up to Quality program.

With approximately 175 students currently enrolled, which jumps to 210 during summer camp, classrooms are arranged by age — from younger and older infants to toddlers, preschoolers and pre-kindergarten.

They learn from certified teachers through structured days with detailed individual reports daily.

“Our childcare center prioritizes UH employees,” she said. “We also give them a discount for tuition as well as other benefits. Also, we do serve members of the community when there are open slots.

“We’re very thankful that families have allowed us to be part of that early journey.”

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post here.