Maylin Rodriguez and her husband, North Bergen Police Officer Hector Rosa, held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their Kidz Learning Center on Friday, Sept. 9. The new daycare at 5108 Columbia Ave. cares for young children before and after school. The facility has been open since Aug. 8, and will remain open throughout the school year and summer.
“It’s creative, and we try to incorporate hands on activities, and STEM with 3 or 4-year-olds.” – Maylin Rodriguez.
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Before becoming a teacher at Kidz, Rodriguez taught for 15 years in public schools locally and in Bergen County. She said she has wanted to run a school since she was little. Rodriguez has also spent time working as a teacher, a learning consultant for education evaluators, and as an adjunct mentor.
“We have a full curriculum,” Rodriguez said. “It’s creative, and we try to incorporate hands-on activities and STEM with 3- or 4-year-olds.” STEM classes are for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The school and its staff are registered for both regular and special needs teaching. The couple has been planning the school since 2014, but it took two years to pass state and city regulations.
The staff and Rodriguez are also familiar with autistic classrooms constructed around Applied Behavior Analysis, which uses different methods of learning for physical or auditory learners. “This classroom can be used with everyone,” she said. “It just depends on how it’s utilized.”
The classrooms are filled with hands-on activities for infants six weeks old to those entering and leaving preschool.
“We utilize different activities for hands-on learners and auditory learners, since they both retain information differently,” Rodriguez added.
“I bring so much to the table, because I’m an educator and I crossed a bridge over to see the development of the brain,” she said. “I see what skills and lessons are concrete for kids and staff.”
Broad range of services
According to Rodriguez, most clients are residents, but the daycare is not restricted to only residents. The day care also coordinates with schools like Franklin School to pick children up after school.
“We also help with homework, and are open all year for those entering preschool or entering kindergarten, because there is a huge gap in education during the summer break,” Rodriguez said. “They lose those skills, and it’s important we prepare those developing skills for those entering kindergarten.”
“I’m glad North Bergen gave me the opportunity to open this, because I felt there was a need for [a facility] without any discrimination for the children’s needs, and one that provides a good education,” Rodriguez said.
The North Bergen Police Department will not lose Rosa, according to Rodriguez. He’ll still be working as an officer. Rodriguez is willing to put all of her time into the day care after teaching in Bergen County for five years, and working as an adjunct mentor at the Montclair University’s Center for Early Childhood.