Our Philosophy
We see children not as empty vessels waiting to be filled with adult-given knowledge, but constructors of their own learning and experience. The teacher’s role in such an environment is to facilitate, guide, observe, support, and inspire children. Our environment itself is viewed as a third teacher and is responsive to the specific, individualized needs and interests of the children.
Our classrooms are characterized by a deep engagement with the child at every level: the thoughtful design of space designed to promote a sense of wonder, inquiry, and human connection, following the natural pacing and flow of the child’s day; the availability of high quality, mesmerizing materials; and, above all, attention to the quality of a child’s relationships with their self and others.
During the course of the day, children have the opportunity to explore a variety of learning experiences that speak to nature, language and story telling, expression through art, engineering, mathematical reasoning, and music. Conversation and research become key elements of our day as we dig deeper into the child’s ideas and interests. Each child has their own language and path of learning. That unique path becomes our focus.
Our Mission
Our mission is to
- provide a warm, caring environment that welcomes children and families of diverse backgrounds and abilities
- encourage young children to explore, experiment, create, and pursue challenging projects
- develop children’s self-confidence, self-expression, independence, and love of learning
- guide children as they learn to play together and negotiate new relationships
- foster an appreciation of differences in personality, ability and culture
- promote peace in our classrooms and in the world beyond
- use developmentally appropriate early childhood educational and applied behavior analysis in our work with children and their families.