PIC provides early care and education from 8am to 6pm for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. In addition to our fulltime program, we offer a half-day classroom for children 3 to 5 years and a half-day Pre-K Counts program for 3- and 4-year-olds who meet state guidelines for enrollment.

Children learn best through play and active involvement with materials, books, and their surroundings. Our child-centered curriculum – for infants through preschool – is based on everyday experiences and interests. There are opportunities for active investigation, observation, and discussion. Children enjoy group activities and time to work alone; we encourage them to work cooperatively and resolve conflicts with words, not actions. Through classroom experiences, children learn about the ways we are alike and affirm our differences. We often launch expeditions to explore our rich, urban community.

The children are grouped in age-appropriate classes with a higher-than-average ratio of adults to children. We try to maintain a 1:3 adult-infant ratio, 1:4 for toddlers, 1:6 for preschoolers, 1:7 for pre-kindergartners, and 1:9 for our school age program.

Parent involvement is an integral part of the PIC community and all families who enroll agree to make an investment of time in the work that we do. The Parent Participation Program (PPP) volunteer requirement is 24 hours per year for fulltime families, 12 hours per year for part-time families (prorated for single parents).

PIC’s child care program is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has received a 4-star rating from Pennsylvania’s Keystone Stars program.