Our Program Philosophy

 

We believe that each child is a unique individual, who – if given a creative and encouraging environment – will spread his or her wings and take flight. The Children’s Place at New Liberty is committed to nurturing each child’s whole self through hands-on learning opportunities guided by caring, professional teachers and social interactions within a classroom community of peers. We believe that young children learn best through play. Our teachers help children’s play to become more meaningful by carefully planning activities that are driven by the child’s natural surroundings and by preparing an environment that is conducive to learning. Our beautiful facility and hand-selected learning materials help children to explore materials that support each learning domain and stimulate their naturally emerging skills. All elements of each classroom are developmentally appropriate and enhance and nurture children’s natural curiosity, and the development of self-regulation, encouraging each child to establish confidence and a positive self image. We believe that children who are read to become better readers and will inherit a love of reading. Children experience reading and literacy activities in each of our classrooms in large groups, small groups and one-on-one with a teacher everyday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We respect the rights of all children as human beings. We believe in maintaining a child-centered environment. Children learn, play, eat, nap and potty with child-sized equipment in classrooms that are open for exploration and enjoyment. Children are encouraged but never forced to take an active role in all elements of their day. Our thematic curriculum follows the children’s leads… taking cues from and supporting their interests. Our approach to guidance takes the form of positive direction including praising desirable behaviors and redirecting undesirable or inappropriate behaviors. We do not use punishment in any form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We believe that parents are our partners. Parent participation is an essential element of our program. We acknowledge the primacy of the family in a child’s life and work to respect and support families. We offer this support through honest and direct daily communication, family meetings, and parent-teacher conferences. For special circumstances, we can recommend outside services and/or resources when we have reached the limit of our own expertise. We offer an atmosphere free of traditional stereotyping – be it gender, family structure, ethnicity, culture, religion, or country of national origin. We believe in a “Harmony” approach to teaching, which encourages children to live in harmony with themselves, each other, our community and our world.