Takoma Park Child Development Center

TPCDC staff are familiar with developmental practices in planning and designing day to day activities for children. One of the latest concepts in early childhood learning employed by TPCDC is a curriculum based on flexibility and choices for the children. We respect and accommodate the developmental stages of the child and our curriculum reflects individual needs. Activities are planned to both challenge and encourage learning by incorporating the various learning styles and creating meaningful connections.

Our staff become familiar with the children’s interests and development through extensive observation. Through observation, they are able to develop profiles for each individual child and create individual activity profiles to incorporate into their lesson plans. Staff create lesson plans that stress personal experience and therefore encourage many open-ended learning situations where the children can learn and create at their own developmental rate. Lesson plans consist of clearly marked goals and objectives, as well as activities.

Since children learn through play, we plan our indoor and outdoor time to encourage this activity. Through play children re-enact experiences, try out different roles, express ideas, develop vocabulary, process information, widen their world view and relate to each other. Children learn by doing, so we provide first-hand experience as a basis for expanding knowledge about our physical world. We believe that adults need to facilitate learning by discussing with the children what they see, hear, smell, touch, and feel, helping them to increase their understanding. To this end, there are times during each day when teachers direct group discussions and introduce concepts and learning experiences. Knowing that all children learn from what adults do, we model the behavior we want to encourage. We strive to show understanding and respect for each person and use words to express needs and feelings. We try to learn from our mistakes instead of labeling them failures. We believe that growth and development happen best in supportive, safe, orderly environments where rules, limits, expectations and plans are known.

We strive to be clear, consistent and firm in these areas. Each teaching team plans events and activities that usually focus on a monthly theme. A calendar of events and activities is sent home at the beginning of each month. The calendar will let you know of special events and give ideas for family involvement in projects.

If you want to know details about how your child’s classroom and teaching team incorporate these ideas, please schedule a meeting with the teachers.