CURRICULUM

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Our Guiding Principles

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Research shows that children learn by doing,

and they need many opportunities to explore

and grow. Educational activities that align with best practices can foster creativity, as well as promote emotional, cognitive, social, and physical development. Developmentally appropriate activities can also build self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning. The teacher’s role is to support children’s interests and learning needs.  

 

Our teaching is based on this philosophy, which is backed by current research findings and grounded in a century’s worth of work by researchers such as Maslow, Vygotsky, Piaget, and Erickson.

 

Program Goals

• The curriculum is based on current research and sound educational theories of early childhood learning and development.

• We provide a wide range of hands-on, interactive materials allowing children to experiment and explore their surroundings.

• The activities and projects provided for students are aligned with the Ohio Department of Education Early Learning Content Standards for Infant, Toddler, Preschool and School Age Students.

• The program will encourage involvement of family members in each child’s learning.

 

Our Funshine Curriculum

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• Emphasizes safety.

• Provides consistency and a predictable routine, which is comforting to children. Children are relaxed and ready to learn when they can anticipate what is happening next.  As children move through developmental milestones they will need to practice skills at which they are successful. The variety of skill levels will vary greatly with any group of children, even those that are all the same chronological age. 

• Includes open - ended activities and materials that build a learning community within the program.

• Encourages participation in two and three dimensional art, music, dramatic play, and creative movement.

• Promotes multi-sensory experiences. Many opportunities are included in our activities that allow children to learn through touch, smell, taste, vision, and hearing. We know that children learn most when information is provided through all the senses.

• Invites exploration and discovery. We provide materials for fine motor and creative art and utilize open - ended questions to promote thinking and problem solving. We know that teachers who model curiosity and wonder will help children reach new levels of development and deeper understanding of concepts.