By Julie Slama | [email protected]

This fall, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School is responding to the requests of parents and will open an Early Childhood Development Center.

The center will serve 18-month to 36-month-old children and serve as an extended day care, open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., beginning Sept. 1, said Blessed Sacrament Early Childhood Development Center Director Haley Harman.

“Parents have been wanting this center for their children,” Harman said. “They’ve wanted a faith-based extended care center where all their kids can be at Blessed Sacrament following the same school calendar.”

Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, which opened in 1986, has served 3-year-olds in preschool as well as prekindergarten, kindergarten, elementary and middle school students. Their mission not only supports the Catholic Church, but also includes nurturing the child academically, emotionally and socially.

Harman said the Early Childhood Development Center welcomes newcomers to the school.

“Much of our school will work with a daily curriculum we’ll have planned, based around our weekly themes,” she said.

Harman said the daily schedule of events is to ensure much-needed consistency.

“Kids this age need to follow a specific routine that includes playing, naps, lunch and snacks as well as learning,” she said.

The curriculum will be more than learning colors and shapes. Harman expects dramatic play, music, sensory table and prayer to be part of the daily routine.

“We want to have engaging activities for the children, but also create a daily routine that enforces positive behavior in a safe, loving environment,” she said.

As summer began, the finishing touches of the Early Childhood Development Center were being completed. Located in the Blessed Sacrament Parish, the center is a remodeled classroom, with new paint, carpet and cabinets. Toys and tables were to be added to complete the room.

Currently, the school is accepting children for registration. Registration forms are available in the school’s main office and require a yearly $75 registration fee.

Rates are $35 per day for five or more hours or $22 for less than five hours, Harman said. The school is located at 1745 East 9800 South in Sandy.

Harman, who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in human development and family studies with a focus in early childhood, was hired to oversee the new center in April.

Plans for Blessed Sacrament’s Early Childhood Development Center also include a toddler extended-day program running through the summer months beginning in 2018. Harman said they also should be able to accommodate the 3-year-old preschoolers during the summer.