Progressive Early Childhood Education
We are most influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach and will model our school on those philosophies in our daily work with children. Above all, we will use the best developmentally appropriate practices according to current early childhood research.
Extraordinary Care
First and foremost, parents want to know that their children are in a safe and loving environment. We will hold ourselves to the highest standard with regards to quality of care for each child. We meet each child with respect and view every child as whole and gifted.
Respectful Relationships
We believe that it is our responsibility to treat each and every person in the school community with respect. In particular, we view positive relationships with the children as a cornerstone to successful experiences in the classroom. All of the various relationships between community members, child and adult, will receive the same level of open-mindedness, reverence and attention.
Child/Parent/Teacher Partnerships
We welcome and strongly encourage parent participation and will provide various opportunities for parents to be involved in the daily life of the school. This will ensure good continuity between home and school and create a strong school community. Furthermore, we see parental involvement in their children’s education fostering greater success throughout the school years.
Beautiful Classroom Environments
Children learn from the context in which they find themselves. We ask, “In what context do we want the children to explore?” Keeping in mind the principle of the environment as a third teacher, all of the classrooms and each space of the school are prepared as if children will arrive at any moment. Clean, bright areas with beautiful and interesting materials will be the standard. We will give attention to small details, which enhance the aesthetic of the environment so as to be pleasing to the eye and engaging to the senses.
Nutritious Food
Proper nutrition is imperative for development of the body and the brain. Our food program will reflect our conviction that what we feed our children affects everything about their growth. Not only will we serve wholesome, freshly prepared meals and snacks, we will also involve the children in every aspect of their nutritional needs – helping to prepare food, setting the table for lunch, and participating in our farm to preschool program.
Community Outreach
We believe every child is a citizen of their community and as such should be involved in building a relationship with the place in which they live. We will find opportunities to be out in our surrounding community and get to know the people and locations that make our “place” home.
Advocacy for Children and Childhood
We uphold quality early childhood education and care as an absolute right for every child. We also believe that childhood should be joyful and full of wonder and that children must have time and freedom to explore the world around them. To ensure a better future for our school and our children to thrive, we will be involved in continuous dialogue and conversation with various agencies related to early childhood education policy and practice.