Philosophy of Education

We base our philosophy not only on our own personal beliefs of how children learn but also on concepts taken from different highly recognized theorists in early childhood.  

Stemming from Maria Montessori, we have created an environment that has a strong focus on children learning independence and self confidence. We teach this through child-lead activities,teaching self help skills and an environment that is child-centered.  

From Jean Piaget comes the idea of constructivism, which states that children are capable of constructing their own knowledge, and that play occurs in levels and stages.

Inspired by Reggio Emilia is the idea that the environment is the third teacher and is used to inspire children by using natural light, order and beauty.  Every space is ever-evolving to encourage children to delve deeper and deeper into their interests. It recognizes that young children have many ways to express themselves. It is our job as educators to tap into those ways and engage the children in their learning.

 

Respect:

Respect is the foundation Life's Little Joys is built on.  Respect for not only ourselves and each other but also the community and our environment.

 

Connecting with Families:  

Children spend a majority of their time during the week at school.  To help support and connect families while they are unable to be with their child, we use the Brightwheel Application.  This is an app that can be easily downloaded.  Throughout the day, you will be able receive communication from teachers including but not limited to pictures, notes on development, reminders, accident reports and videos.  

Environment and Safety:

It is our strong belief that children thrive when they feel safe, comfortable and accepted.  We strive to provide an educational home-like atmosphere that will speak to each child's family, culture, developmental level and interests.  The environment reflects every student in our care which brings them feelings of joy and acceptance. Our program empowers students to tackle challenges and take on experiences that may be new to them.

 

Diversity and Family Inclusion:

At Life's Little Joys Learning Center, we focus on exposing children to diversity in many ways as diversity brings understanding. Immersing children in culturally diverse activities and environments gives them the opportunity to become more comfortable with difference in religion, race, language, and cultures. We embrace families as a part of our classroom community. We acknowledge the fact that you are your child’s most important teacher and will be a welcome and extremely valuable part of our program. Children do best when the adults in their lives work well together. We believe that happens when we have a collaborative partnership with you. We provide opportunities throughout the year that allow families to be involved in their child's classroom experience whether this be through having a story time with the class, sharing a special talent or skill, or volunteering in the classroom.  

Independence and interdependence:

Your child will learn to take care of themselves through self-help skills as well as to take care of their classroom community and environment along with building other skills essential for a well-rounded individual.

While we heavily foster independence, our program also promotes interdependence. Children learn that it is ok to give and receive help from their peers. This is important for building relationships in the classroom community and learning empathy for others.