SKCDC EDUCATION and FAMILY SERVICES PHILOSOPHY

SKCDC EDUCATION and FAMILY SERVICES PHILOSOPHY

Providing a safe, healthy, nurturing and inclusive environment that encourages young children’s growth, development and school readiness skills is our priority. Our Early Childhood programs are designed to support each child’s development in the social/emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, mathematics, science/technology, social studies, and the arts domain areas. This is accomplished through child-centered experiences that recognize children learn individually, sequentially, and at their own pace. We believe that it is essential to meet children where they are at and partner with families to plan individual goals that support their child’s school readiness. We value the family as the most important educational influence in the life of their children and recognize that the family is the child’s first and most important educator. Parents and family members are the “forever” people in a child’s life. We are partners in the learning process. It is our mutual goal to support children in going to school prepared and ready to learn.

In Head Start preschool classrooms, we use Opening the World of Learning (OWL) curriculum- a research informed, comprehensive integrated curriculum. The OWL curriculum supports developing language and early literacy skills through rich, integrated content in all domains of early learning. Additionally, preschool environments are designed using the foundation of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool which is based on five fundamental principles:

·  Positive interactions and relationships with adults provide a critical foundation for successful learning.

·  Social/Emotional competence is a significant factor in school success.

·  Constructive, purposeful play supports essential learning.

·  The physical environment affects the type and quality of learning interactions.

·  Teacher/family partnerships promote development and learning.

In Early Head Start we use The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers and Twos which emphasizes essential aspects of responsive care:

·  Building a trusting relationship with each child.

·  Providing individualized care.

·  Creating environments that support and encourage exploration.

·  Recognizing the importance of social – emotional development.

·  Build a foundation for lifelong learning

·  Developing partnerships with families.

Home Based programming also utilizes the Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI) model. This approach provides a framework for supporting children’s social/emotional growth within the context of the family and aligns with the Pyramid Model (see below). Partners for a Healthy Baby is the curriculum used in the Expectant Program and with young children transitioning into EHS Home Based.

In all our programs, we use the Pyramid Model. The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children is a positive behavioral intervention and support framework early educators can use to promote young children’s social and emotional development and prevent and address challenging behaviors.