DISCOVERY CENTER MISSION STATEMENT
We, as part of the early childhood community, seek to support parents and children through a creative environment that promotes and teaches Christian values, honors diversity and fosters fellowship within the greater community.
GOALS
- To provide a safe and stimulating environment that nurtures the natural wonder in each child.
- To create a setting that fosters the child’s physical, social, emotional, cultural, spiritual and intellectual development.
- To honor and respect the diversity within each child as well as all of God’s creation.
- To facilitate enjoyment of school and model a positive attitude toward learning which will allow children to face future experiences with skill and confidence.
- To acknowledge the parent(s) as the first and most important teacher and to support them on their parenting journey.
COMPONENTS OF OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our hands-on classroom experience is designed to meet children’s individual needs and learning styles. All curriculum webs from the unit themes each week in environment areas, including music, art, science, reading and dramatic play. The classroom environment is set up in centers, so children may choose a wide variety of experiences. In addition, we also incorporate a “Letter of the Week” and Handwriting without Tears into the 3, 4 and 5 year old classroom daily schedules.
We believe very strongly that the parent is the first and most important teacher. Our classrooms are set up to invite parents to experience the centers with their child when they arrive at school. Each center contains a sign explaining the objective for parents. A detailed explanation of the weekly activities called “A Peek at Our Week” is emailed to parents each week. Opportunities for families to connect outside of the school day include special program events, like Grandparent’s Day, the Christmas Program and the Spring Circus, as well as Family/Partnership Events like the Bike-A-Thon, Fall Festivals, Advent Fairs and Spring Carnivals.
There is a sense of order to our classrooms. All shelves and bins are labeled for children. Teacher made materials and games are widely used because they can be adjusted to meet children’s individual needs. Teachers create cognitive games for each unit which are self-correcting, allowing children the ability to work at their own pace.
Each week, children are immersed into the “spiritual emphasis” for the week through a variety of daily activities and bi-weekly Worship and conversation time lessons. These lessons and worship times are hands-on and Bible-based, written and taught by teaching staff. The curriculum always includes daily songs, prayer before meals and modeling of Christian values by the teachers.