Our philosophy has been developed over the history of the school and it continues to develop as we welcome new families. Our overall philosophy is to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment where they can develop socially, emotionally and academically. We believe that it is important for parents to be active participants in their child’s early learning experience. Experts agree that the preschool period is a critical stage in child development and a cooperative school allows parents to expand their role as teacher in a classroom setting.

Children in our programs develop a real sense of community, both in the classroom and in their neighborhood. They may see a friendly helping parent at the playground or at the pool and their sense of community is expanded. Parents develop an understanding of their child and his developmental stage, which they may not have experienced in other settings. Parents in our programs also learn how to facilitate their child’s use of language to solve problems on their own. By working so closely with the teachers they develop a team approach to education that public schools are unable to achieve. A unique relationship is formed and the teachers are able to gain a greater understanding of the children in their class, as they too learn from the parents. Research indicates that the involvement that parents have in their child’s early learning experience helps them to build self-esteem and develop the skills they need to achieve success in later years.

Our philosophy is also consistent with the belief that children learn through play. According to most child development experts, children go through developmental stages and until they reach a particular stage, they may not be ready to acquire specific skills. We believe that if concepts are introduced prior to readiness, children may become frustrated and may even reverse the learning process. It is for this reason that our curriculum is carefully designed to introduce new concepts when children display signs of readiness.