WAC Magazine

April 2013

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Growing up WAC W At WeeWACs, kids time rules the day hen it comes to the serious business of play, the folks at WeeWACs are always on duty. Walk through the light purple door on the 1st Floor and you might find a little boy playing stockbroker with a walkie-talkie pressed to each ear. Or a trio of toddlers holding a lively discussion about the best condiments to put on their plastic hot dogs. Or a tot in a tiara happily conducting a wedding between an inflatable giraffe and an inflatable zebra. ���There���s a lot of emphasis on play here,��� WeeWACs Manager Shawn Bonney says. ���We have a ton of toys and every imaginable experience in here. I���m a firm believer in the power of play.��� To enter WeeWACs is to enter a cozy space chockablock with finger paint supplies, princess costumes, kid-sized cars, plastic dinosaurs, books, basketball hoops, science projects, and a stereo system ready to kick out the kid jams. ���The kids have to have their music,��� says teacher Kyle Shaffer. ���It���s great for our dance parties.��� In the eight years since Shawn took over, WeeWACs has grown from a barebones ���waiting room with crayons��� to a state-licensed childcare facility with seven teachers and accommodations for 15 children from ages 6 weeks to 7 years. WeeWACs maintains an adult-to-child ratio The WeeWACs buggy is always a hit. 30 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | MARCH 2013 of one-to-four and offers a preschool curriculum that includes art, music, exercise, field trips, foreign languages, snacks, quiet time, and even a bit of WAC networking. ���We call it ���baby board meeting,������ Shawn says. ���They���ll sit there and have their own little chats about things. We don���t necessarily understand, but they seem to.��� As for foreign language lessons, WeeWACs includes teachers who speak Japanese, Russian and Spanish and sign American Sign Language. Most parents use WeeWACs for first reserved, first served drop-in daycare. Kids can stay up to three hours anytime between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. As of last year, WeeWACs also offers five full-day slots, and a waiting list determines future enrollment.

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