Our Philosophy
The pillar of curriculum
planning at Redwood Village Children’s Center is Play Based Learning which
embraces the spontaneous benefits children receive from exploring and
experimenting in a nurturing environment. It is generally accepted by most
developmental experts that play contributes greatly to cognitive development;
however at RVCC we emphasize that play as an activity in its own right is a
vehicle for the foundation of academic learning. Since children are naturally
driven to play, employing play activities in the classroom supports children’s
natural ability to learn. By providing activities and spaces where children can
participate in games of imagination, discovery, invention, problem solving,
social interaction, self-regulation, emotional development, creativity, role
playing, and language, we create a thriving classroom.
In order to create a
meaningful learning environment suitable for the diversity of the children in
our care, RVCC integrates various educational techniques & practices proven
to be effective in other developmental models and are consistent with our Play
Based Learning model. Practices used at Reggio, Montessori and Waldorf schools
such as the Reggio based emphasis on the collaboration among
home-school-community to support the learning of the child is seen in RVCC’s
commitment to parent teacher conferences, parent education lectures, community
outreach, and daily parent/teacher communication. The Montessori practice of
providing self-teaching materials is employed by providing children with self-
correcting materials in the classroom. A Waldorf tenet used at RVCC is to
provide sensory based learning such as gardening and cooking.
The teachers at RVCC create an environment where all
children have many choices and opportunities for creating, communicating and
discovering through play. Providing many different choices allows children to
be successful. Children have interaction with their peers as well as times with
mixed-aged groups. Children work through social conflicts and achieve
developmental milestones through their dramatic play as well as through daily
routines. Teachers are trained to keep age and developmentally appropriate expectations
in mind, to observe and document goals and to guide each child on their
developmental journey. We strive to
nurture and validate each child and to help them grow into their full potential
as unique individuals.
Additional Reading:
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=127
http://www.parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.html