A VISION - LEARNING TO HAPPEN
Country Lane Kindergarten was founded in 1999 by the owner/principal Ruby M. After looking for an Early Childhood Centre for her own daughter, it became apparent that although many centres in the country existed, choices for quality Early Childhood Programmes were limited. Extensive research led to the discovery that even the so called best centres were not using de
velopmentally appropriate teaching methods. It was made a goal by the institution's founder to attain recognition for her work with young children. It is a vision that each day of a child's life will lead towards the growth and development of a healthy, intelligent, contributing member of society. For this reason, the name of the centre was chosen carefully so as not to duplicate any other as well as for the obvious 'country' surroundings. Freidrich Wilhelm Froebel (1782-1852) one of the major contributors to Early Childhood Education is known as the "father of the kindergarten." The German word kindergarten means "children's garden," and this is what has been envisioned for the children of this centre. His system was centered around self-activity and the development of children's self-esteem and self-confidence. He wrote that "Play is the highest phase of child development - the representation of the inner necessity and impulse." Here at Country Lane Kindergarten, we practice the Froebelian belief that a child's first educational experiences should be a garden: full of pleasant discoveries and delightful adventure, where the adult's role is to plant ideas and materials for childen to use as they grow at their own pace. The staff and principal move forward as they continue their education, with goals being to make Country Lane Kindergarten the hallmark of Early Childhood Care and Education in County Caroni and by extension, Trinidad and Tobago.
