A Kid's Place

Each child develops in his/her unique way: there is no correct way to learn and grow. All children acquire knowledge differently and at different rates. We seek to recognize and respect these differences.

Children do not need to be forced to learn; they are motivated by their own desire to make sense of the world. As educators, it is our job to provide children with a stimulating, challenging, environment and allow them the opportunity to discover, to experience the world via all of their senses. We believe that a good early education program fosters the development of cognitive abilities, but not by using workbooks or introducing formal academics. Growth happens naturally as children are encouraged to explore and experiment at their own pace and directed by their own interests.

All children come into the world with a natural curiosity and passion for figuring things out. It is of the utmost importance that we reinforce this passion, help it to flourish, and that we do not in any way squelch a childs innate desire to learn. As such, we allow children a great deal of autonomy in determining the direction of their learning; they are offered a wide array of stimulating activities and are given great freedom of choice. They have the opportunity to pursue their own interests and feel succesSFul in this pursuit.

We believe in giving children autonomy, but not the power to determine everything that happens in their school lives. As such, we attempt gently to introduce expectations and structure that are commensurate with their developmental readiness.

A persons ability to socialize and communicate with others effectively is a major factor in determining his/her success in school and in life. We seek to help children learn how to get their wants and needs met, how to problem-solve, and how to compromise. We wish to facilitate independence while also creating an environment where children feel safe asking adults for help.
One of our two play yards.

We want to help children develop the ability to cope with frustration. The world is unpredictable, often unfair and, no matter how much we love our children, we cannot protect them from everything. One of the greatest gifts we can give them is the knowledge that everyone struggles, everyone fails sometimes and, in order to succeed at anything, we need to be prepared to do things that are difficult. If we take it upon ourselves always to make children happy, they will never learn how to make themselves happy.