Our Mission |
Early Childhood (0-8yrs) is considered the foundational period of growth and development that will later hold the rest of a child’s higher learning. We are dedicated to help build a strong foundation through faith-based, developmentally appropriate practices and hands-on, child-centered education. Children link words and learning concepts to meaningful learning experiences, and it is our goal to facilitate an environment filled with rich and meaningful learning experiences.
Children are individuals with different interests, passions, needs and abilities, and there is not one size that fits all. Instead of expecting children to meet us where we are in order to prepare them for future schooling, we strive to meet children where they are today in order to prepare them for the rest of their life. Quicker doesn’t always mean better, and by allowing a child to have the time and trust to get what they need right now, we are helping build a solid foundation that will later be strong enough to support their higher house of learning that will be built upon this foundation. |
Meaningful CurriculumEmergent Learning
Emergent Curriculum is a way of planning curriculum based on the children’s interests, discoveries and passions, as well as the teacher’s. Children are naturally capable learners, and they learn best when they are interested and their attention is captured. Authentic curriculum is not found in a box, but is what actually happens in real time and space within a meaningful learning environment between children and dedicated teachers. To plan emergent curriculum, teachers must be diligently committed to observing, documenting, brainstorming, and most importantly, building strong relationships with each individual child. The goal of Emergent Curriculum is to respond to every individual child’s interests, passions and developmental capabilities. “To develop curriculum in depth, adults must notice children’s questions and invent ways to extend them, document what happens, and invent more questions. The process is naturally individualized. In contrast, standardized curriculum comes from unknown experts outside the classroom. It relies on generalization rather than on an individual teacher’s creativity and attentiveness to individual learners. Indeed, standard curriculum may squelch teacher thinking. What it permits is linear planning and assessment that is responsive to bureaucratic needs in a large nation with large educational systems. In this approach, responsive teaching is sacrificed to efficiency, and only outcomes are measured.” (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2012) |