Our philosophy
At Children’s Village, we believe that the best learning experience occurs when children are actively involved with people and materials in their environment. Children bring their own unique understanding of the world to an activity. They can be trusted to use their internal motivation to become immersed in new learning and to gain additional cognitive capacity. Such learning best occurs in a loving, home-like atmosphere that provides a variety of challenging, but non-stressful activities. The children then take away from the experience what they need to meet their individual needs.
For nearly 30 years, we’ve explored many strategies, including Montessori, High Scope, and Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). Our philosophy, what we call the Project Approach, combines the best elements of many of the books, journals, workshops, and methods we’ve studied. Special “themes” last six to eight weeks and are followed by a “project panel” where teachers collect examples of art, drawings, and other work to tell the story of the theme. We’ve discovered that this method, which emphasizes collaboration and cooperation between peers, adults, and children, helps us gain a better understanding of how children learn.
We recognize how critical the ages of birth through age six are to your child’s development. And we’ve observed that most of these skills at these young ages are developed through play.
- Large motor skills: outdoor play and activities like climbing, bike riding, and dancing
- Small motor skills: puzzles, beading, cutting, finger play, etc.
- Self-help skills: daily routines such as handwashing, dressing, and manners