First in a series
[img]1633|left|Audrey L. Stephens||no_popup[/img]Sitting down with the veteran educator Audrey Stephens is rather like peeling an onion – the more layers are peeled back, the more amazing is the experience.
As hundreds of Culver City parents know, Ms. Stephens is director of the Office of Child Development, a clunky, arcane formulation that sounds like something thought up in Washington, by a theoretician who once went to school or by an underemployed therapist.
Their well-disguised property lies just east of Farragut School. You might drive by for years without recognizing it.
The Office of Child Development turns out to be a golden crown of hometown schooling. Testimony reflects a lengthy record of success, even though no one has offered to train klieg lights on the prolific, deceptively large campus.
Where Children Gather
Ms. Stephens describes her enterprise:
“The Office of Child Development is the children’s center. They are really synonymous.
“When we opened our doors in 1971, we started out with two classrooms, 15 students each, a very small staff of four, one director, a cook”
Gazing about the brilliantly lighted, fairly spacious late afternoon setting where she was entertaining a visitor, Ms. Stephens continued:
“In this bungalow in 1971, we grew to 56 children. From there, we now have grown to six sites, a staff of 82 and close to a thousand students this year.”
By the way, the Office of Child Development has a one-year waiting list.
What Is Hidden in a Name?
She cringes at hearing the agency referred to as “OCD.”
“Acronyms drive me crazy,” she says.
“‘OCD’ sounds like a disease, cracks her visitor.
Nodding, “I know,” she says, “and the director probably is, because I am obsessive/compulsive when it comes to children and what’s good for children.”
Ms. Stephens is in the process of defining the children’s center when there comes a light tap on the door to her right. She waves the parent inside to the interview table, and introduces Josette Trux, mother of 8-year-old Connor and 4-year-old Cameron.
Resuming her narrative, Ms. Stephens came to the Office of Child Development 28 years ago, first as a teacher, was promoted to co-director in 1999, and seven years ago became the sole director.
OCD’s pre-school classes and after-school programming serve children between the ages of 3 and 12. The age range and the almost 1,000 enrollment are why they have a half-dozen sites, all the while, she stresses, emphasizing academics over a frothier way of life. In addition to the pre-school classes at their Farragut Drive headquarters, every elementary site has a pre-school plus “before- and after-school services.
“We also provide extended learning in after-schools, from 3 o’clock until 6,” Ms. Stephens said, emphasizing academics over playtime.
(To be continued)
