Play is a child's work.

A school should provide a happy, relaxed, and supportive environment that contributes to the development of the "whole" child -- his/her physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs. Each of these areas of development is interrelated. Children need many chances to interact with their physical and social environment in order to learn and gain an understanding of the world and their place in it. We can aid and guide this process by the questions we ask, by the goals we set, by the information we provide, and by the behavior we model.

We cannot accomplish learning for children. However, we can help children develop problem solving skills, become critical observers of their own environment, and learn to take responsibility for their own education. Children are naturally inquisitive; they want to learn. Our challenge is to keep this desire alive by helping them to understand their world through their senses, their feelings, and their intellects.

A child's self-image is very important in the learning process. She/he must feel that her/his ideas, feelings, and emotions are worthwhile. Through successful experiences, a child builds a sense of self-esteem. This feeling of confidence aids in further success and motivation for learning.

Each child is unique in her/his mental capacities, emotions, skills and interests. It is our role to assess just where each child "is" along the growth spectrum and to provide a broad range of learning experiences for all of the children.

Play is a child's work. It is vital to a child's learning. It allows a child to express her/himself and to organize and make sense of the world. Play provides a meaningful way to learn cognitive concepts. It promotes social development as well. Social sensitivity is learned slowly through many experiences. Through play children learn to initiate and sustain relationships with others, and to build trust and emotional maturity.

It is our goal to provide a supportive atmosphere that will encourage each child to develop physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.