Begin the Journey of a Lifetime
“Children are born with all the curiosity they will ever need. It will last a lifetime if they are fed upon a daily diet of ideas.”
– Charlotte Mason
Committed to fostering children’s natural love of learning throughout childhood, we begin by offering a wonder-filled experience for our very youngest students. At this level, infants and toddlers rely on adults to meet most of their needs while also learning through their own experiences. The teachers are there to guide and support while providing a safe and emotionally supportive environment for them. This is done by providing stimulating activities woven throughout our rich, daily routine.
WHAT WE VALUE & TEACH
Our classroom environment and interactions will accommodate the varied age groups and ever-changing needs of the group. We believe that teacher’s role is to provide a rich, beautiful, safe, and developmentally appropriate environment that promotes exploration, curiosity and a sense of security. The routine of the day and each interaction with children becomes part of the curriculum. We see even a simple task like a diaper change as an opportunity to have some one-on-one time, make eye contact, introduce language, create a relationship, and even sing a song.
a note on our approach
This information comes directly from Magda Gerber’s philosophy, known as RIE®. While we are not a RIE® facility, both our head teachers are trained and incorporate the following into our curriculum…
In SLOCA’s Tiny Wonders Infant and Toddler program, we turn to Magda Gerber’s philosophy of respecting and trusting in the baby as an initiator, explorer, and self learner. Gerber encouraged parents and providers to strive to provide the following: an environment that is physically safe, cognitively challenging, and emotionally nurturing; time for uninterrupted play and freedom to explore and interact with other infants; the child’s involvement in all care activities, allowing the child to become an active participant rather than passive recipient; sensitive observation of the child in order to understand their needs; and consistent, clearly defined limits and expectations to develop discipline.
