The Village for Early Childhood Education
Mission Statement:
To provide the children and families of this community with a safe, nurturing learning environment that maximizes individual student and family potential.
Belief Statements
The Village believes children learn best in an environment that fosters independence and encourages the development of the cognitive, physical, and social aspects of each child’s development.
We believe that children learn best through active participation and positive interactions with peers and staff. We work to provide acceptance and trust and to reflect the diversity of our community, in each classroom.
We believe that families provide the foundation for each child’s education We actively support and encourage a family partnership between home and school.
We strive to expose children to a variety of learning experiences and family events that foster a love of learning.
Philosophy: It takes a village to raise a child.
The Village for Early Childhood Education strives to engage children in creative discoveries, on-going interactions with people, materials and ideas that promote the development of the child’s mental, emotional and physical growth.
The diversity of the program promotes peer instruction and learning, provides a variety of leadership opportunities and promotes empathy, respect, and understanding of individual differences.
Children learn through their play. They plan with the teacher where they will play, they learn to carry out their plan and they review what they have accomplished. Play helps to provide the steps needed to master a skill or to discover new information.
The Village approach to education is based on the individual needs of the children in each classroom. Parents are actively involved in the child’s learning and the assessment of the child’s growth. In addition to parent involvement community service groups, area churches, and scouts donate and volunteer time and services to the program.
Parents and community are actively involved in the management and planning of the program. Parents and community members serve on decision-making policy boards, curriculum committee, PTO, and as volunteers for the school.
The Village assesses and measures the quality of our program a minimum of twice per year with the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale. We use self-assessment tools from our major funders. We gather information from parent surveys, focus groups, and committee representatives.
Curriculum
The Village encourages the active involvement of families and all children in the classroom environment. Highly qualified early childhood education staff, skilled paraprofessionals and special educators work to provide a variety of language rich experiences. Our primary sources for curriculum are High/Scope and “Read, Play and Learn!” Our curriculum reflects an eclectic approach. Both curriculum are research based. High/Scope is based on five principles – active learning, positive interactions, a child friendly environment, a consistent routine and team based child assessment.
Read, Play and Learn! uses children’s literature as a framework for providing highly stimulating learning experiences and skill development across all the developmental domains. Outcomes are reached while children select and carry out activities that are fun and motivating to them. The Village focus is on developmentally appropriate learning experiences with special emphasis on language and literacy skill development.
Second Step curriculum materials provide discussion pictures, puppets, and role-play for a child’s emotional development. Children learn to brainstorm alternative solutions to problems, resolve conflict, and develop positive social interactions. Children learn to make “good choices” and learn “how to be a friend.”
Classroom Environment
The classrooms are arranged with distinct, well-equipped interest or learning centers. All classrooms have a science center, a dramatic play area, block area, book and quiet area, art center and circle area for group activities. Children engage in a consistent daily schedule that is balanced between child-choice and teacher directed learning activities. The activities are balanced with active and quiet discovery and indoor/outdoor play times.
Children participate in regular music enrichment. Lunchtime at school is also a great time to socialize with students and teachers from other classrooms.