CCAV is founded on the philosophy that children, their families, and society, benefit from high quality early childhood programs.
We believe there is a critical link between a child’s early experiences and later success in life. The program is based on the belief that children need time to be children and experience their childhoods. Teaching is the art of providing young children with an environment that encourages active exploration and discovery. Projects are planned, yet responsive to individual needs, and environmental happenings.
Teaching is the art of providing young children with an environment that encourages active exploration and discovery. Projects are planned, yet responsive to individual needs, and environmental happenings.
Opportunities are provided for the children to take responsibility, make decisions, and learn through play in mixed age groupings. Children’s positive feelings of self-worth must be the foundation of all curriculum development in early childhood. Each child’s learning is filtered through his or her unique screen of self concept. Each child brings his or her own world to us each day. At CCAV, free play is structured into a free choice concept. Activities are selected to maximize the classroom space as well as varying and rotating choices daily to enhance creativity and curiosity.
The teaching staff is sensitively aware of how young children learn. Children process knowledge by using their whole self to gather information. Because children absorb what their bodies are experiencing, the more involved the experience, the greater the potential for learning. The cultural experiences and the ethnic values of the individual child must be incorporated into the teaching tools for each child. Good materials should capture interest and curiosity and should challenge the learner. Children need their goals broken down into smaller components appropriate to their developmental level. The process involved in finger painting, building a “block tower”, making a “mud pie”, or drawing letters in the sand is what really is important. At CCA we value the importance of play in the learning process. Play is powerful. Play is child-centered. Play is active learning for young children.