Children learn in different ways. Most children love to play, and play interaction is a great way for children to learn. Children are very intelligent and observe and pickup things that we as adults don’t always pay attention to. If they are surrounded by good desirables events, they learn good desirable things, if they are surrounded by bad or undesirable events, they learn those. Our goal is to build better citizens for tomorrow and we teach children not just the academics, but also to be better are sharing, collaborating, accommodating and competing.
There are many different philosophies for learning. Each has its own strengths, so it is hard to argue that any one method is great or any one method is bad, because it depends on the needs of the child, the environment they are in, parent’s expectations and support and many other factors. However, while individual needs can be adjusted to, most centers will have some central philosophy they believe in, and organize their learning outcomes around that. Religion based programs are one common philosophy that we see in day cares, Montessori is another, while others have STEM focus.
Additionally, some learning philosophies rely on repetition, some on interaction and others on engagement. We at Village believe in learning through play. We used guidance from Collaborative for Children to design different play centers, each with its own unique theme that teaches children some critical underlying concept. We believe that learning that feels natural, not imposed has more lasting impact. When children learn while playing, it feels natural to them and stays with them. We follow structured curriculum to ensure progression and completion of concepts, so that children are better prepared for the next level as they grow.
Our experience with inclusive care allows us to identify unique needs of each child and make adjustments accordingly to make them more successful. In the end, even the best philosophy and methodology is useless if the caregiver is not vested and engaged. We are blessed to have some great people on our staff that genuinely care about the children and their success, and that makes all the difference in the world.