Our curriculum is based on the principles of the developmental psychology. We see child development in toddler and preschooler ages as a development of two important virtues: will and purpose. Will helps the child to explore his or her developing skills and develop autonomy, while purpose gives initiative, a sense of confidence, and the ability to make decisions.
Our mission is to grow lifelong learners and confident, caring individuals. This is accomplished by providing each child with a wide range of developmentally-appropriate experiences that encourage them to grow socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and creatively. All children are loved, cared for, and nurtured to help them realize their full potential.
Our staff are responsive and enthusiastic. It creates optimal conditions for children’s personality development. Also, activities such as dance, music, and drama contribute to social-emotional and creativity development. We believe that only the child who feels secure and comfortable can succeed academically in the long term. Therefore we never compromise a child’s confidence or sense of security for better performance in the short term.
Dance is a primal part of the human experience across all cultures and time periods that unites us all no matter our age. The benefits it has on early childhood development cannot be overestimated.
Physical development is one of the most obvious benefits dance has for children. They learn a great range of motion, body awareness, balance, muscle strength, coordination, and endurance. Movement patterns require children to use their entire body to reach a level of fitness that is unparalleled by other activities. Through dance, kids begin to understand that the possibilities of movement are endless and fun to explore.
We provide two methods of physical activity: teacher-Led (structured) and free play (unstructured) activities. Structured physical activities are engaging, pre-planned, quick and intense activities led by our teachers. Unstructured activity is free play for children to be creative and use their imagination. Some examples of activities:
Communication. We believe that communication is a fundamental factor in literacy development at the toddler and preschooler ages. Bonding and interacting with children helps create a sense of security, and a desire for them to interact in return.
Reading. Many books and research articles have shown the importance of reading for child literacy development. Therefore reading is an important part of our daily routine. Reading to children allows them to develop the ability to hear foreign languages and develop skills that are important for future literacy development.
Rhyme and rhythm. Reading rhymes and singing is a natural part of our activities. Research into the development and acquisition of early literacy skills has conclusively shown that rhythm and rhyme play a hugely important role. This is because children’s early literacy skills are about listening and speaking rather than reading and writing.
Phonological Awareness. Phonological awareness is critical for learning to read any alphabetic writing system of any language. It helps children develop a wider range of phonological awareness that will help with mastering literacy in other languages in the future.
Most preschoolers, even without guidance from adults, are naturally interested in math as it exists in the world around them. They learn math best by engaging in dynamic, hands-on games and projects. Preschoolers love to ask questions and play games that involve the many aspects of math. We do not treat math as a one-dimensional subject that is separate from other subjects taught in school. We incorporate math into children’s day to day life.
© Copyright 2017 by Teddy Bear Yukon, Inc.
