The Big Top Child Care Center

The Big Top Child Care Center of Laurel was originally Mary Moppets. Although originally a franchise, we had been privately owned and operated by members of the Joseph R. Breslin family from 1972 until 2007. In 1989, Marianne Breslin Waugh assumed directorship, as well as the ownership of the center.

In January 2007, Lawrence Scott and Crystal Friend purchased the business from Marianne in hopes of continuing the tradition of providing quality care in a family, home-like atmosphere. Lawrence worked in management for 17 years before coming to the center to work as a pre-school teacher in the classroom. Crystal began working for the center in 2000 as a teacher in the preschool room before beginning training for the directorship position. Crystal has completed her bachelors degree in business and they both take annual trainings to keep abreast of all current childcare trends.

During the many years of operation, The Big Top has succeeded in providing all inclusive, top quality childcare at reasonable prices. We care for your child in a clean, safe environment that invites growth and development in a stimulating atmosphere. Our staff continually guides your child through our carefully planned day, allowing for both a structured and free form balance of activities. Our staff development requirements far exceed those dictated by our licensing agency and include: workshops, seminars, videos, in-service, conferences, mentoring, observations and visits, and college course work. These enable us to maintain and refresh our curriculum while keeping abreast of current child development practices. Annual evaluations and the State Credentialing process are used as a measurement of our growth and development.

Our primary goal is to help your child reach their full potential emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually through the use of developmentally appropriate practices, while preparing them for their future in school or enriching their current school status. A copy of the text we use for our curriculum plans is available upon request. We stress the importance of group social skills in our curriculum because we believe these skills are crucial to the success of children in a formal school environment. We also stress and value the importance of our families in our day-to-day operations, as well as, the reflection of their social and cultural influence in our program. Your child’s progress is monitored through various methods including semi-annual evaluations and our individual cumulative assessment plans.

Child Ages:

2 years - 6 years

Licenses & Accreditations:

Maryland State Department of Education Division of Early Childhood Development - NECPA Accredited

Preschool:

Yes

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Friday 6:30am - 6:30pm