Dartmouth Early Learning Center
Center in South Dartmouth, MA 02748
The mission of DELC is to support the essential nurturing and guidance that is
critical to healthy growth and development of young children by offering a rich
home-familiar learning environment where children’s curiosity and hunger for
learning are promoted through play, discovery and the arts. Our programs are
designed to help children build positive self-images, develop competence and
positive dispositions toward learning and school, and to learn basic skills of
social living. The work we do at DELC is intimately related in aim, in method, and
in materials used to fundamental assumptions about how, what, and why children
learn. Our constructivist approach is child centered, hands-on and humanistic and
is aimed at the harmonious development of the whole child in all areas. It is
meant to reflect a variety of developmental levels among children taking into
account their many individual characteristics and special qualities. Our emphasis
is on helping children discover and work towards their own style of learning,
construct meanings, and use freedom in a carefully prepared environment.
- Child Ages:
- 3 years - 9 years
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- Massachusetts Department of Early Education & Care - NAEYC Accredited
- Hours of Operation:
- Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-5:00 PM
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Our philosophy of education has developed over the twenty years that we have
been teaching young children. While we have integrated the ideas of many fine
educators, we have been most inspired by the Reggio Emilia preschools in Italy
whose aim is to “preserve the spell of the child unbroken.” The basic components
of Reggio Emilia include viewing the child as powerful rather than powerless;
using an emergent curriculum that is based on the interests of children; engaging
in projects that are not limited in time or scope; and documenting the child’s
progress with words and pictures.
