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The Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care (CCI), a licensed, NAEYC-accredited program, offers a quality early education program for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. We are open year-round, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided.
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CCI's child-to-staff ratio meets and exceeds those required by New York state licensing and NAEYC standards for excellence in care.
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Full-time and part-time enrollments are accepted.
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Enrollment is rolling (parents may apply year-round), and we are open to the children of Hofstra faculty, staff and students, as well as families in the surrounding community.
Email to learn more about enrollment.
Health and Safety Protocols
At CCI and throughout Hofstra University we are all invested in the well-being of our community.
Additional health and safety requirements
Additional health and safety requirements include:
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Mandatory vaccination for all staff as of Sept. 17, 2021.
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Mask-wearing is optional in indoor public places on campus.
Creating Life-Long Learners
CCI’s program focuses on the child's total development -- social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. It offers developmentally appropriate activities for children ages 8 weeks to 5 years, providing opportunities for hands-on, integrated learning. Children are grouped according to age and ability.
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The environment at CCI is clean, safe, secure, and aesthetically appealing, containing a child-centered playground and wonderful outdoor space, inclusive of Hofstra's beautiful campus and facilities.
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CCI encourages parent involvement and education in an enriched learning environment. The interdisciplinary services of the clinical programs associated with the Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center render CCI unique in the provision of education, care, assessment, and enriched learning environments for young children and their families.
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NAEYC Accredited
CCI was reaccredited in 2023 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the leading organization of early childhood professionals. Nationwide, less than 10% of all child care centers, preschools and early childhood programs are NAEYC-accredited.
Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care
CCI has been designated a Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Center by the New York State Department of Health's Child and Adult Care Food Program
NACCRRA Preferred
The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies has named CCI a preferred provider servicing military families.
We are the Champions!
CCI is one of the first child care centers in Nassau County to be designated as a Champion Center by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). We completed the Eat Well Play Hard Program Initiative under the auspices of the Child Care Council of Nassau. This program was developed to prevent childhood obesity and reduce long-term risks for chronic disease through promotion of targeted dietary practices and increased physical activity. As a Champion Center, we are held to high standards and required to increase the number of healthy snacks provided.
Our Home at Hofstra
CCI's home at Hofstra makes it a unique place for infants and children to spend their first years.
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The Saltzman Center Clinics
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CCI is housed at the Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center. Our neighbors and collaborators at the Saltzman Center include:
- Counseling and Mental Health Professions
- Psychological Evaluation Research and Counseling
- Reading/Writing Learning
- Speech-Language-Hearing
Faculty and graduate students from these other areas are frequent visitors to our classrooms and may work with children and families with special needs.
Should a child require the services of one of our clinics (ie. Speech-Language-Hearing), professionals may provide the requested or prescribed therapies during the course of the school day.
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The Hofstra Arboretum
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Hofstra's South Campus is an accredited arboretum. When weather conditions permit, the children's schedules include playtime and extended walks on the University's beautiful campus, where there is safe, ample space for them to play and explore.
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Museum and Performing Arts
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Our toddlers and pre-K classes often visit the Hofstra University Museum of Art, where art educators let the children get hands on with the exhibits and create their own special projects.
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Hofstra University is also home to a vibrant Department of Drama and Dance and a Department of Music. Hofstra students from these programs, as well as from the Pep Band, Spirit Support and other areas often pay visits to CCI and engage the children.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- HOW EARLY CAN I DROP OFF MY CHILD IN THE MORNING AND HOW LATE IS PICKUP?
- CCI opens its doors promptly at 7:30 a.m. Parents sign in their children each morning and can help get them settled in their classroom with their teacher. You may pick up your child as late as 5:30 p.m.
- WHAT IF MY CHILD BECOMES SICK DURING THE DAY?
- If we see that your child isn't feeling well or detect that he or she has a fever, we will call you to pick your child up as soon as possible. Your child must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to CCI.
- MY BABY/TODDLER HAS CERTAIN DIETARY RESTRICTIONS. CAN THEY BE ACCOMMODATED? WHAT ABOUT FOOD ALLERGIES?
- Yes, we accommodate dietary restrictions and food allergies.
- HOW IS THE DAY STRUCTURED?
- In the infant room, babies eat and sleep on their own schedules. In this nurturing and loving environment, the infants have their own play area and toys.
In each classroom, children choose from a wide array of age-appropriate play activities until breakfast is served. Children may play independently or in a group.
Following breakfast, children may move to the indoor play area, go outside to the playground – which is completely enclosed – or explore Hofstra’s beautiful campus (a recognized arboretum) with their class. Strollers and multiple-seat buggies allow the infants and young toddlers to also take advantage of the scenic campus environment.
After their walk or play, it is lunchtime. Meals and snacks, including fresh fruits and vegetables, are served family style. The children help teachers set the table, serve the food and even clean up afterwards. Lunch is followed by nap or rest time.
Throughout the day, children engage in Center time and Circle time activities.
Center time allows teachers to provide opportunities for the children to choose from a variety of activities, including the block area, creative art, writing center, science and discovery center, dramatic play, music and movement. Center time is focused on building children’s skills, language and vocabulary.
Circle time is an opportunity for the children to come together to read books, sing songs, dance, exercise, discuss classroom activities, participate in flannel board stories, and puppet play.
From the time they are dropped off in the morning until they are picked up by their parents, the children have a day full of learning, physical activity, and bonding with their peers and teachers. - WHAT IF THERE IS A SNOW EMERGENCY OR THE UNIVERSITY CLOSES EARLY FOR ANOTHER REASON?
- CCI will send out a notification asking parents to pick up their children because of the early closure of the campus. However, the Center will remain open and staffed until the last child is picked up.
- MAY I COME BY DURING THE DAY TO BREASTFEED MY INFANT?
- Yes. CCI has been designated a Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Center by the New York State Department of Health's Child and Adult Care Food Program.
- WHAT IS YOUR VISITOR POLICY?
- Parents are asked to fill out a form at the start of the academic year providing detailed information on who may visit their child and who may pick up their child. If someone comes by who is not on the parent-authorized list, they are not admitted into the center.
Everyone (including parents) who stops by during the course of the school day must be buzzed in through a double-locked door and then sign in at the front desk before being admitted to the classroom area. - ARE CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES SEPARATED FOR SAFETY REASONS?
- Infants are cared for in the specialty infant room and have their own dedicated staff. There are classrooms for toddlers separated by age, as well as a Pre-K classroom. While there are special occasions when children from different areas do congregate, we maintain a separate schedule for each group of children on the playground and in CCI's indoor playpit. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are also served in the individual classrooms.
- WHAT KINDS OF BACKGROUND CHECKS DO YOUR TEACHERS AND STAFF UNDERGO?
- All child care staff are subject to NYS Comprehensive Background Checks.
As required by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) and New York State Social Services Law, new comprehensive background checks became effective on September 25, 2019.
These background check requirements include:- NYS criminal history check
- FBI criminal history check
- NYS Child abuse and maltreatment registry screening
- NYS Sex Offender registry check
- National Crime and Information Center-National Sex Offender Registry Check
- Criminal history repository
- Child abuse and maltreatment registry
- Sex offender registry
More about CCI ...
2024 Week of the Young Child®
Campus Groups Organize Performances and Activities for CCI
Student groups from different areas of Hofstra University helped CCI celebrate the Week of the Young Child®, April 6-12, by organizing performances and educational activities for preschoolers. The week featured concerts, performances, crafts, and a field trip to the Hofstra University Museum of Art.
CCI Celebrates Reaccreditation
The Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute was reaccredited in 2023 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children. To earn NAEYC reaccreditation, CCI went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process.
Grant Supports Healthy CCI Menu
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) awarded a $10,561 grant to the Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute to support the healthy menu it provides its students, who are ages 8 weeks-5 years.
Shake-A-Rake
Members of Hofstra University's Plant Department joined the children at CCI for a "Shake-A-Rake" program, to clear the playground of fallen leaves. How much they actually collected is debatable - the children preferred collecting and jumping in the leaves to bagging them.
Story Time Visitor
Stephanie Crocco of the Hempstead Public Library visited CCI for story time. She read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, "Splendid Spotted Snake" by Betty Ann Schwartz and Alexander Wilensky, "It Looked Like Spilt Milk" by Charles Shaw, and other titles. Between books, there was freeze dancing and other activities.
Pep Band on the Playground
In honor of NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child, the Hofstra Pep Band treated the children of the Diane Lindner-Goldberg Childcare Institute (CCI) to a surprise playground concert. Pep Band co-captain Emma Finkelstein said, “Playing for the children is so much fun. ... We love sharing what we do with them.” The CCI students took turns playing the cowbell, tambourine, and mini drums.
These Boots Were Made for Planting!
Members of the Hofstra Sustainability Studies Club paid a visit to the Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute to do spring planting with the preschool and pre-K classes. Because of rainy weather, the planting was brought indoors, where old sneakers, boots and shoes were repurposed as containers.
Children Explore African Culture at Museum
Pre-K students from the Diane Lindner Goldberg Child Care Institute had the opportunity to explore cultures across western and central Africa at the Hofstra University Museum of Art exhibition AFRICA: Sub-Saharan Diversity at Emily Lowe Gallery. The children listened to a story about Anansi, a character from African folklore and viewed a wide selection of carved masks, weapons, sculptures, jewelry and textiles.
Happy Halloween!
Disney princesses, super heroes, pumpkins, bats, and astronauts celebrate Halloween every year with a parade at the playground of the Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute (CCI) at the Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center.
CCI Director Leaves a Legacy of Love
For 26 years, Donna Tudda, director of the Diane Lindner Goldberg Child Care Institute (CCI), coaxed smiles, wiped tears and witnessed milestones like first words and first steps.
The Science of Ice Cream
Students at Hofstra’s Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute (CCI) were treated to a special science experiment when Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniel Miller and Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Matthew Smylie made ice cream using liquid nitrogen.