Happy Holidays - Kamm's Corners Development Corporation

West Park
Discovery World
Makes A Child’s
Day Bright
…by Marilyn Osborne
When children are asked, “What did
you do today?” the most common reply
is, “Nothing.” That’s because boiling
all activities down to one response is
hard for kids (and even grown ups)
to do. What a child may want to say
is, “My day was filled with activity. I
learned about dinosaurs. I played on
the swings. I made pretend reindeer
food with oatmeal and glitter. I ate all
my lunch, and I fell right to sleep at
nap time.”
To keep parents informed and foster
meaningful conversations, every child
in the full day program at West Park
Discovery World goes home at the end
of each day with a summary sheet reporting
what he or she did, including
general mood, what was eaten, what
the theme of the day covered, and
anything of special note the teachers
feel a mom or dad might want to know.
Owners/Administrators Nora Litchney (left) and
Gayle Kovach also teach at West Park Discovery World
to stay engaged and active in the educational field.
“Parents are starved for such information,”
said Gayle Kovach, coowner
and co-founder. She graduated
from the University of Toledo with
a Bachelors degree in Elementary
Education. Her prior experiences
have been in teaching and directing
Kindergarten, Montessori, and
preschool classes. Nora Litchney, her
business partner, earned an Associate
Degree in Early Childhood Education
and a Bachelors Degree in Social
Science from Baldwin Wallace. Since
1978, Nora has been teaching and
A young trio discovers muscles in the oversized book,
“How Your Body Works.”
directing preschool programs, and
is presently an Adjunct Professor at
Cuyahoga Community College.
Back in 1986, Gayle and Nora recognized
a need for greater personal
interaction between pre-school teachers
and parents. “We were working
together at a different child care
center and felt disconnected from the
parents,” said Gayle. They were in
their mid-20’s and full of ideas. Over
a long conversation at the Parmatown
Food Court (with stores closing for
the night around them) they formed
a plan to create a warmer and more
family friendly environment that
resulted in the opening of West Park
Discovery World.
Nora, a member of the West Park
United Church of Christ, was offered
the space in the church’s lower level
for a reasonable rate. They took it and
remain at 3909 Rocky River Drive.
“Gayle and I have complimentary
styles, although our
core beliefs are the
same,” explained
Nora. As a result,
they have succeeded
in creating and
maintaining the dynamic
environment
envisioned in that
food court 23 years
ago. The nephew of
one of their first pupils
is now enrolled
– their first “second
generation” child.
Many parents tell
glowing tales of
experiences with
Discovery World.
24
Teresa Pofok’s second
child is now in
Kindergarten there.
Discovery World offers
an enriched full
day Kindergarten program
taught by an
experienced, licensed,
master degreed professional.
She said, “I
use the daily report to
talk with my son. For
example, when I saw
they were studying
dinosaurs, I asked him
about it. Then, I took
him to the Museum of
Natural History so he
could see the dinosaur
bones.” Knowing what they are doing
in day care allows her to participate
in his education in a real way. Her
first child, Kate, has moved on to St.
Angela Merici, where she is an A+
student. Mrs. Pofok attributes Kate’s
high marks to the early education Kate
received at Discovery World, where
she attended from age 3 through
Kindergarten. Baby Jack, her third
child will attend Discovery World as
soon as he’s potty trained.
Tressa Kemer’s third child is attending
Discovery World’s preschool
program. Her two older ones have
moved on to West Park Community
School. “What drew me to the program
was the positive word of mouth. I was
talking to a woman at the library who
was bringing her child in all the way
from Olmsted Falls.” That day, she
called to enroll her first-born child, and
has every intention of enrolling her
youngest child when he’s ready. “I like
A group of three year olds listens to Pat Deutsch tell the story: “Froggy Gets Dressed.”