Philosophy
Our day care philosophy translates into a curriculum that begins with each child as an individual, with a unique pattern of developmental capabilities, temperamental characteristics, and learning styles.
We offer diverse opportunities for learning! Children grow to see themselves as important and competent individuals when they are nourished by the unconditional positive regard of the caring adults in their lives. Children develop a positive self-image when they are given opportunities to exercise the power of their own choices. Each child needs to experience success through involvement in self-selected learning activities. Children’s spontaneous, self-initatied and self-directed play is the primary vehicle for learning, which is an interactive process. At My Little World Daycare, children are given the opportunity to choose from a variety of materials and actively explore and experiment. In doing so, they are creating their own knowledge from their experiences.
Providing materials that are real, concrete, and relevant to the lives of children helps them develop skills they will need to later develop abstract understanding of symbols. Adults share in that process of discovery. The teacher’s role is to plan and prepare a stimulating environment. Teachers provide challenging activity choices and facilitate children’s engagement in the activities they select. They extend learning by asking questions, making suggestions, and adding materials to the situation. The process of learning is recognized as more important than the content or products of any learning experience. In order to enhance each child’s self-concept and to broaden the experiences of all children, multicultural, non-stereotyping materials and experiences are offered. Parent-teacher partnerships, based on mutual respect, trust, and sharing, facilitate optimal program development.
We recognize that parents have much to offer as resources to teachers due to their particular expertise regarding the abilities, habits, and interests of their own children. We welcome the participation of parents at My Little World Daycare to the fullest extent possible, recognizing also that working families lead busy lives. Our role is to supplement the role of parents in providing care for their children, and ongoing communication with families helps us to realize this goal.