Mission
“We learn through stories of others, we learn through the stories of ourselves.”
Our core mission is based on honoring the wisdom we receive and transmit through stories. Each child has a story to share and we want each to attain his or her highest potential to express his or her story.
Our goal is to create a harmonious environment that is nurturing, ordered, and beautiful and to provide a comfortable transition from home life to school life.
Our educators foster the child’s social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual development by providing a safe and nurturing atmosphere with carefully crafted lesson plans.
We believe children need ample physical activity, healthy nutrition, and necessary rest for holistic development.
Curriculum
“Early childhood is a period of magical discovery”
All children have preparedness, potential, curiosity, and interest in constructing their learning from their environment. Small group activity is emphasized based on the social constructivist model that supports the idea that we form ourselves through the interaction we experience with our peers, adults, and our environment.
We follow the Reggio Approach which fosters children’s intellectual development through systemic focus on symbolic representation, including words, movement, drawing, painting, building, sculpture, shadow play, collage, dramatic play and music which promotes children’s communication skills as well as their creativity. Children use a variety of materials in order to communicate their many natural “languages”. A studio teacher, trained in visual arts, works with children to make their thinking visible through various media.
The teachers facilitate children’s interest through a theme that enriches open-ended discovery and problem-solving skills. The theme is weaved into lessons of math, language and literacy, and short and long terms art projects. Teachers document the work, and activity of each child. This documentation is used to further create activities that captivate the interest of the children. Parent collaboration with the teacher is essential to the child’s learning experience, and are part of our emergent curriculum.
The space of the school is designed to have beauty, organization, and every corner of equipment and materials has a purpose. It is valued and cared for by children and adults. Children learn through free play, hands-on activities, and by doing meaningful practical work. The program is enriched with activities of yoga, music and dance, puppetry and storytelling.
Advantages
“A humanitarian approach to education”
- Children are taught social responsibility with peace, respect and compassion.
- Screen free facility to promote free play and imagination.
- A homelike environment with natural wooden toys.
- A focus on arts and crafts for children to express themselves.
- Weekly theme-based projects weaved into all math, literacy, and art.
- Nutritious meals for breakfast and lunch and organic snacks offered twice a day.
- Weekly yoga classes by professional yoga instructor Ms. Vicki.
- Weekly dance classes by professional dance instructor Ms. Lindsey.
- Seasonal festivals and holiday celebrations.
- A music and dance performance open to all families in the winter and spring.
- Field trips to local attractions including Wagner Farms, Kohl Children’s Museum, and Chicago Botanic Garden.