SC

Mission Statement & Philosophy

Mission Statement

SC Learning Center is dedicated to serving the needs of young children by providing a high-quality early childhood program within a safe, nurturing environment.  Through the use of developmentally appropriate practice, the staff will encourage the physical, social, emotional, creative and cognitive development of each child.



Philosophy

We believe that children’s individual interests and abilities are fostered through careful developmental planning and evaluation.  We provide a learning environment, which encourages and provides for the nurturing and growth of the whole child in the areas of cognitive, language, physical, social and emotional development.

We believe a child-centered curriculum which actively involves children in developmentally appropriate activities promotes a positive self-concept, curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.  We foster each child’s development of self-control and plan for increasing independence as they acquire skills.

We believe the development of the child requires time and patience.  In this endeavor, we encourage on-going parental support in providing a quality early childhood experience.


Educational Philosophy

The learning experiences we offer your child, the environment we have created and the spirit of the classroom all evolve from the beliefs we hold about child development, children’s needs and rights and the role of the teaching staff.

The activities you will observe at the Center are based upon the developmentally appropriate practices described by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) is not a specific curriculum such as is often seen in elementary and secondary schools.  DAP is a philosophy or an approach to working with young children that requires early childhood educators to understand and use the types of knowledge to make decisions in the classroom:

  • Information about child development and learning
  • Information about the abilities, interests and needs of each individual child in the group
  • Knowledge about the social and cultural backgrounds of the children, families and community

This understanding is used to develop activities that encourage the growth and development for each child within the classroom.  Therefore, you will not see children sitting at tables and completing worksheets.  This kind of activity is inappropriate for young children who learn best through active involvement and through play.

The classroom is set up so that the children can select and be guided toward activities that meet their needs according to their age and developmental level.  A child who is three will be in and be able to do different activities than a child who is five.   We will provide learning experiences for the children that enhance or promote the development of the personal intelligences, so that the children will feel and be successful.  Children who are allowed to manipulate and play with many different materials and who are provided with varied experiences will be successful and productive members of the community and will become life-long learners.

We develop our curriculum based upon our knowledge of child development and upon our observations concerning the individual children’s interests, abilities and needs.  Using this information we will develop an individually appropriate curriculum that allows the children to develop initiative, creativity, problem-solving, social skills and their personal sense of worth.

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