Child Development Center

500 North Clinton Ave | 585-232-4330
431 Jay St | 585-445-6773

For many, this is where the Baden Street journey begins.

The Alvin Wesley Child Development Center provides day care services to children ages 6 weeks through 12 years, and is designed to meet each child’s physical, social, cognitive and emotional needs.

The program strives to help each child reach his or her full potential through age-appropriate activities.

The Child Development Center is an accredited center by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to serve 151 children. Two nutritious meals and a snack are served daily. Free hearing and speech screenings, and visiting nurse services are also provided.

Universal Pre-K

500 N. Clinton Avenue and 431 Jay Street

Universal Pre-K, a program for three and four-year-old children, provides an excellent start to formal education. Research indicates that early learning enhances children’s capacity to learn and improves elementary school performance. Baden offers full-day sessions.

Carol Robinson

Director of Youth and Family Services

Email: crobinson@badenstreet.org

Carol Robinson is from Rockingham NC. She has lived in Rochester, NY since she was 16 years old. She started working for Baden Street in 1995 as a Toddler Teacher. Since then she has had several positions in the Early Childhood Department. Carol has had great experience working with the families in the Northeast section of the city. She attended Monroe High School and shortly thereafter decided that she wanted to work in the Human Service field, so she went on to earn her Associates Degree in Human Services at Monroe Community College. There Carol decided that she wanted to work in a community is where she would be most impactful. Carol is currently the Pre-K Director and works in the daycare center as the Assistant Director and Educational Coordinator. She is currently enrolled at Empire State College working on a BA in Early Childhood. Her hobbies are reading, hanging out with her 3 grandchildren and traveling whenever work permits.

Kimberly Barnes-Ellis

Program Director of the Child Development Center

Email: kbellis@badenstreet.org

Kimberly Barnes-Ellis is from Rochester, New York, and has worked with Baden Street Settlement for 17 years. She attended West Irondequoit High School in the Urban-Suburban Program and Graduated from Central State University in Ohio with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. Kimberly Barnes-Ellis is currently the director of Baden Street Child Development Center. She spent several years as the program director at South Avenue Daycare Located at the Rochester Psychiatric Center has experience as a supervisor in dietary at Highland Hospital for over 20 years and has worked for Highland Hospital for over 30 years. She came to Baden Street Settlement because of her love and passion for working with children and loves being part of the team. In her free time Kimberly loves shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Shelley Kiesel

Program Director of Pre-K

Email: skiesel@badenstreet.org

Shelly Kiesel grew up in Fort Plain, NY, where, as the eldest cousin, she was often the family babysitter and knew early on that she wanted to work with children. She earned her degrees in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Oneonta, and SUNY Brockport. After relocating to Rochester in 1998, Shelly worked in several teaching roles, including as a UPK teacher at Baden Street Settlement, where she helped open the first UPK classroom in 2004. Over the years, she has served in various positions, including Education Coordinator, and is currently the PreK Director. She takes pride in the growth of the PreK program, which has expanded from 1 classroom to 9 across two locations. One of the things she loves most about Baden Street is the strong sense of community—many of her former students are now bringing their own children to the program. Outside of work, Shelly enjoys reading, walking her dogs, and spending time with her family.