early childhood at salem

Philosophy & Values

Our goal is to provide programs that ensure each child the opportunity to learn and grow at their own pace and in their own way. We believe that a relaxed atmosphere with special interest centers in the rooom invite children to explore, experiment, discover and develop in a way unique to them. Emphasis on planned purposeful play allows children to learn from hands-on experiences that encourage and develop pre-reading, pre-language and pre-math skills.

WHEN IT MATTERS WHO EDUCATES AND NURTURES YOUR CHILD

We intentionally and purposefully keep our class sizes small to ensure that the children in our care have more opportunities to engage and interact with not only their teachers but also with their classmates. With more one-on-one time with teachers, students receive more individualized attention and instructions and the result is an increase in learning and better outcomes in academic, emotional and social development. 

CHILDREN ARE ACTIVE LEARNERS

• They learn by being involved.
• They follow their own natural curiousity.
• They are explorers.
• They learn by doing.

CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH REPETITION

• They need many opportunities to repeat activities. 
• Materials and equipment need to be available for extended periods so that children can discover how things work. 
• They also need time to move from exploring to using the same materials and equipment for a specific purpose. 
• Young children enjoy practice; they can and will drill themselves. 

CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH THEIR SENSES

• They gather knowledge by seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling, and tasting. Examples: nature walks, outdoor play, water table exploration, scented playdough, etc.

CHILDREN LEARN BY MAKING MISTAKES

• Mistakes are an important part of learning. 
• We want children to be willing to try new things and to be willing to make mistakes. 
• Through trial and error children learn how to learn and they establish learning patterns that will last a lifetime. 
• With encouragement, children gain confidence that they can learn and they look to themselves for answers. 
• They learn that they can problem solve, an important skill for lifelong learning. 

CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH MODELING

• Children model what they see and what they hear. 
• They are constantly watching to see your reactions in various situations. 
• Children need positive role models in their lives. 

CHILDREN LEARN BY DOING

• For a child to learn about something, it is important if it is a part of their "world" right now, a part of their daily life. 
• Children will have a better understanding if they can learn it through a concrete experience. 

CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES

• Children need a variety of activities and materials in their classrooms because they come to a group with different abilities and experience levels. 
•  Because of the broad range of skills and the diverse abilities of children in any group, they need to be provided with activities on many levels. 
• Materials should be available so that all children can be successful. 
• Children have different interests and motivation, so variety is essential. 

CONTINUE TO CURRICULUM