CHILDREN ARE UNIQUE

It is the belief of Children Unique that all children are unique and that they need to be loved and respected for their differences and not in spite of them. We believe that it is the differences that make them who they are and that it is our job to detect and encourage the positive attributes in each one. It is also our belief that children are explorers by nature and should be encouraged to explore and manipulate their environment. Because of this we believe a childcare setting should be safe and filled with things to explore and many opportunities to explore.
Our preferred learning approach is that of a hands-on nature. By playing with materials and equipment, children are able to find out how things work. We believe children will choose activities and experiences that they can accomplish when they are developmentally ready. We also believe that as they master these tasks, they are intrinsically rewarded by the sense of accomplishment they receive.
With parents going to school and/or working, often more than one job, children are spending an increasing number of hours in the care of others. Because of this, we believe that they have the opportunity to develop close, interactive relationships with caring and committed adults. Children develop confidence and security from nurturing caregivers with whom they are able to bond.
We believe a curriculum should incorporate and encourage learning experiences and development within the four (4) basic areas of growth: physical, emotional, social, and cognitive.
Curriculum areas should include:

1. Block building: using blocks, children learn to sort by color and size.
2. The book area should contain books on shelves at children’s height with covers visible. This area should include many story-telling props to encourage reading and language development.
3. The dramatic play area is also important for social development, role-play, and language skills.
4. The manipulative/math area is essential for development of small finger muscles for sorting, match games, table blocks, shapes, learning colors, and counting.
5. The art area is for creative development. Other areas we consider important are music and the computer areas. We consider the outdoor play environment to be an essential extension of the indoor environment. It should be clean, safe, attractive, and inviting, full of a variety of toys and equipment for optimal large muscle development and exploitative play. Teachers should provide planned groups.

We believe that parent involvement is the key to success at any age and stage in a child’s childcare and academic career. We welcome involvement and input from family members. We believe PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and parent-participation activities are vital to the success of any childcare program.
Finally, we believe caregivers should possess a fundamental understanding of human growth and development as well as being motivated, observant, flexible, adaptive, and protective nurturers. Caregivers should be consistently striving to develop professionally by routinely attending career-focused training, participation in workshops, and joining professional organizations in the field of childcare.