Early Childhood Learning Center of Natomas
Welcome to the Early Childhood Learning Center of Natomas!
About our center,
Take some time to read about our philosophy to understand what makes our school unique in the field of child care. Our "Community Village" approach is very meaningful in helping our children feel safe and welcome. Staffed by qualified and caring teachers, we make learning fun as we balance our academic program with discovery play activities. Faculty members are passionate about their roles as "facilitators of learning" for children and are involved at every level of activity.
Call our office today and arrange for a visit for you and your child in order to see our program in full operation. You are welcome to stay as long as you like to see how your child will benefit from our program. We are confident that you will appreciate our approach to early childhood education.
ECLCN PHILOSOPHY
How do you believe children learn? At the Early Childhood Learning Center of Natomas (ECLCN) we believe each child brings with him/her a unique personality and learning style. It is our goal to support each child's need to learn in a variety of ways to accommodate these different styles. Our philosophy has been most influenced by the "discovery model of learning" as described by Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky was a well known Russian psychologist and philosopher who believed that children's learning develops naturally through various paths of discovery. He saw learning as a social and collaborative activity that cannot be "taught". Children "construct" knowledge based on what he/she already knows. The teacher/parent/peer plays a very important role as the facilitator for this process. The challenge for our teachers/facilitators is to design situations in which they can support children's learning by asking appropriate questions directed at optimizing learning. Through the use of the facilitator, children are able to perform more tasks than he/she would have been able to do independently.
ECLCN was developed using a "village concept" which allows children to perform activities appropriate to a specific learning center. Vygotsky believed that learning should take place in the context in which the knowledge is to be applied. Thus children can pretend to be a mailman in our "Village Post Office" literacy center. They learn literacy skills more effectively by using the skills in a real life context.
Children are self motivated, curious learners. They each have special interests that motivate their learning; we shape our curriculum according to what these interests are. These themes may last a day, a week, or longer based on the children's interests.
Children learn by watching others. ECLCN creates opportunities for children to interact with each other in small group and large groups in order to advance each child's growth. Through this collaborative approach, children learn how to formulate questions and work cooperatively to find the answers.
Children learn through repetition. Unlike adults, children do not tire of repeating interesting activities. Repetition leads to greater confidence in a child because they are able to predict what comes next. ECLCN follows a consistent daily program based on changing themes. Children are given the opportunity to repeat the skills or knowledge they have learned in one activity to advance their skills or knowledge in another.
Children learn how to treat others by the way they are treated.. It is our goal to help each child develop positive self esteem by treating them with respect. In turn, we believe children will respond in the same manner to others. As a result we expect the children to be good citizens of the ECLCN Village and carry those same values out into the community at large.
Last but not least, we believe that children learn best when they are surrounded by people who care about them and are working together to support their learning. We invite you as parent or guardian to become an active member of our team to discover the way your child learns best. With all of our support, your child will work to "construct" his or her own base of knowledge, providing a strong foundation for life long learning.
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