The Center’s commitment is to the educability of all children. Each child’s prior and out of school experiences are valued and the Center sees its role as one of identifying and building on those strengths. The school, therefore, is the child’s family and community. The scope of early childhood educational experiences is not limited to the child’s preparation for public school. Rather, it is a program for the total development of the child based on her/his needs. The Center holds the view that the development of language, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills are integral to the total growth potential of children and are not isolated ends in themselves. We understand education to be a process of nourishment that takes time for children to learn the skills needed throughout life. No amount of ‘drilling, conditioning, training’ will enable children to grasp materials presented to them until they, themselves, reach the point where their entire beings respond positively to the stimuli.

Through exploration and manipulation of materials such as clay, water, paints, blocks, paper, sand, children develop their sense of mastery and control over their environment. Children cannot be passive observers and listeners in the education process. Their active participation is necessary for growth. We must be supportive of what children are doing and provide direction without intrusion, so that they trust their own immediate experiences and open to themselves and the world.

The Child Development Center seeks to create a non-sexist, anti-racist atmosphere in which children work up to their potential. It is a place where they develop independence, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, initiative, and evolve a positive self-image. We believe that through this basic foundation and approach to learning, the child is able to meet any educational challenge.

The Child Development Center offers children rich early childhood experiences through creative arts, blockbuilding, woodworking, sand and water play, dramatic play, mathematics, science, and literature. Every activity that occurs in the program leads to others.

Functioning as an extension of the home, the Center offers an open classroom setting where learning occurs through hands-on activities and social interactions. The Center, a mixed-age program, operates out of four (4) classrooms defined by concept, i.e., Creative Arts, Family, Math and Science, Woodworking and Blockbuilding. Each classroom’s activities are built around the room’s concept, yet all curriculum areas are experienced in each room. The children experience each classroom as they make choices throughout the day, and transfer concepts learned in one classroom to other rooms. Learning is an active, total process.

Although focus at the Center is not on preparation for the child to transition into public school, but rather on the total development of the child, the Child Development Center’s alumni, however, do very well in public school, as they are prepared in all aspects of themselves, cognitive, emotional, physical, and social. The Child Development Center serves many purposes for children, parents and teachers. The children experience an enriched learning process, the parents know their children are in a safe, learning environment, and the teachers learn from the children, redeveloping and refining the teaching and learning process, and the process continues.

If a program is designed to meet the needs of individual children and children in small groups, discipline concerns are limited. When teachers understand and apply theories applicable to the growth and development of young children, there is little, if any, conflict between teachers and children or between children. However, when discipline concerns arise, discipline must be life affirming, with the goal of building self-control and inner discipline. The child’s will must not be broken but rather channeled to be productive for self and others, and self-esteem must remain intact.

To further the child-centered process regarding discipline, children participate in constructing classroom rules, clear limits are set, and consistency is maintained. When it is necessary to remove a child from an activity to help her/him recover, a warning is given before actual removed. If removed, the child’s feelings and classroom rules are discussed. The child decides when to return, and is assisted in making a successful re-entry.

Parents are encouraged to participate in the program as volunteers and/or observers. Teachers work in partnership with parents, communicating regularly to build understanding and consistency. Parents are encouraged to participate in the curriculum building process and extending concepts from school to home and home to school. The Center provides parent orientations, parent meetings, open house, parent workshops, parent-teacher conferences, and parent classroom assistance. Parents are invited to accompany the children and teachers on trips, participate in family days and outings, and the various weeks each semester designed for parent participation. The Center has an open door policy for parents.