ABOUT US
Our mission is to provide a quality educational and childcare experience that will help your child develop intellectually, physically, nutritionally, socially, spiritually and emotionally. The Canterbury Learning Academy , Gomez Family Child Care, began in 2004 as a small high quality family day care. We grew to a large high quality child day care and to date have included the Canterbury
Learning Academy, center-base in 2010. Our establishment was formed out of our concern for children and the plight of urban families, especially single parents, trying to locate quality daycare, preschool and kinder care for their children. We feel that the growing phenomenon of family day care and the lack of high quality educational child day care, preschool and kinder learning in urban Los Angeles for parents striving to work towards self-sufficiency and to remove themselves from the welfare rolls, is essential . Child care permit parents to participate in education and training programs, as well as, work to better their lives and that of their families. For working parents, child care is often unavailable, and when available, the cost of child care is often over priced for their salary. Moreover, there is a need for “specialty” child care such as weekend, night care, emergency drop-in, and sick child care. Resolution of this problem will take a concerted effort on the part of both the public and private sectors. As a priority of concern, the Canterbury Learning Academy took affirmative steps to improve access to quality child care for all families regardless of economic circumstances, culture, race or religion. We recognizes that a first-rate comprehensive educational andchild care program will need to encompass, among other things:
1. Financial aid to low and moderate-income parents in paying for such care.
2. Improve mandatory training programs for their child care personnel. We believe that all children can learn and that this should be the goal of the teacher and center staff in creating a productive learning environment. Creating an optimum environment begins with a great organizational management team. By creating an environment of mutual respect and acceptance within The Canterbury Child Care Establishment, we feel that each child will reach an optimal developmental and educational peak daily. We will strive for each child to develop hunger for learning. We will continually work to present stimulating activities and materials through a variety of different techniques and learning styles. Activities will include music, drama, reading, math, computer, oral language activities, recitations, art projects, other technologies, art, outside play and more based on Progressivism. Our beliefs are heavily based on the humanistic philosophy which looks at children as individuals. We believe a child’s early experiences enrich and stimulate future growth. Children deserve to be treated and respected as individuals in an environment that welcomes reason, exploration, question, and imagination. We respect each child’s need for love, security, acceptance, warmth, and stimulation. We believe that all children should be given equal opportunities to grow as a learner. In order for a child to learn, he/she must feel safe to take risks and try new things. We will strive for each child to develop a hunger for learning. In order for a child to perform at his/her best in life he/she must form essential skills at an early age during their life. We will strive to incorporate cultures and spirituality as we make cognitive, social, health, nutritional, emotional, and physical development stimulating and fun. In order to meet these objectives the parents must work in a partnership with the staff, each other and the community. Parent’s Night Out
Have you and your child missed out on Parent's Night Out? If so, here is your chance to take part. Once a month on a Friday night, you can drop off or extend your typical Friday hours of child care to go for a nice dinner with a loved one, have a girls night out, catch the latest movie, finish your weekly grocery shopping, catch a game, the list goes on and on! It's not every Friday you get anight to devote to YOU!! Your child/children will benefit from spending a fun-filled night with their buddies in a comfortable setting and you don't have to worry. It's hard to find babysitters anymore and expensive, too! You can rely on Canterbury Learning Academy, a familiar place to your son/daughter, to experience this special night monthly! We provide yummy nutritious meals, take part in seasonal arts and crafts, and watch movies! What fun!!
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ACTIVITIES
Curriculum
We believe in curriculum based education to insure developmental readiness for first grade. Canterbury Learning Academy uses Creative Curriculum and DLM Curriculum ….guiding your children toward their potential” by providing hands on, center based activities that promote development of emerging skills. Echoes format is centered on themes that have scriptural relevance to children. All children in the environmental settings of these classes, will develop social interaction, expressive language, and responsibility for one’s self and belongings. The environmental setting is structured to develop a sense of independence, exploration and discovery through developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). Developmental learning assist a child to grow through awareness of self, problem solving, co-operative behavior. Our curriculum provides opportunities for children to develop independence and personal responsibility through problem-solving and decision-making. Our program also supports development of self-esteem, appreciation of cultural diversity, and an understanding of how we are an integral part of the world around us. Although implementation of curriculum goals vary due to the individual needs of the children in the classroom, they are realistic and attainable. All children are given opportunities to develop at their own pace with hands-on investigations and explorations that foster strong educational foundations for future knowledge, learning, and success. Our activities include:
Singing
Dance
Reading
Outdoor play
Counting
Social development
Story time
Games
Large and fine motor skill development
Circle time
Cooking
Letter recognition files
Character building activities
Language Arts
The goal of the reading literature program is to provide students with the tools they need to read with fluency. Phonic skills enable children to get beyond the distractions and mechanics of decoding words in order to focus on reading comprehension. Both classic and contemporary pieces are read in class and the importance of fine literature is stressed to the students. Comprehension skills introduced:
Consider the author’s point of view
Understand the author’s purpose
Comprehend the “cause and effect” relationships
Compare and contrast things and events
Draw conclusions from what is read
Distinguish fact from fiction,( reality from fantasy)
Identify main ideas and details ? Make inferences to better understand what is read
Understand sequence of events
Students will:
Read a story together. Freely discuss the open ended themes of the story. Learn to carry on a discussion among peers. Handwriting
Handwriting instruction enables students to write legibly, clearly, and with ease. The children are expected to hold pencils correctly, form letters and numbers correctly, use proper placement on tablet paper, and use proper spacing within and between words. Social Studies
The social studies program looks at the relationships of the individual child in ever-expanding circles. Discussion and activities begin with a student’s relationship to other individuals, their family, their neighborhood community, and the world at large. Our program emphasizes family, major international holidays, and the lives of noted women and men. Ideas and themes introduced:
Interaction within different environments
Individuality and interdependence
Conflict and cooperation
Continuity and change
Science
Students will observe, classify, measure, explore, and recognize relationships. Our goal is to present science in ways that help the children begin to understand how the world works. Three main approaches used in our program are hands-on activities, observation and questioning. Class exercises involve comparing, classifying, and summarizing, and are designed to expand the children’s vocabulary and expand their understanding of cause and effect relationships as well as how living and non-living things are connected. Following are the main subjects:
Learn About Plants Living things, parts of plants, different kinds of plants, flowers, seeds; life cycle and growth, plants as resources. Learn About Animals
Pets, needs of animals, different kinds of animals, environments, life cycles, animals and people. A Home Called Earth
Habitats and the web of life
Landforms, rocks, soil, water, care and use of resourcesWeather and Seasons
Describing the weather, making measurements, temperature, wind and seasons. Learn About Your World
Use of the senses to learn about surroundings. Properties of objects, comparing and grouping objects. Making Things Move
Position, pushes and pulls, wheels, magnets, floating and sinking. Mathematics
Students will soon realize that mathematics is not just learning numbers and amounts, rather it is a way of thinking, exploring, discovering, explaining and justifying everyday life. Lessons are interactive, using a calendar, number line, and a 1 – 110 number grid chart. Elements are added and changed throughout the year, keeping a variety of math topics active and under discussion everyday. Work involves investigation, games with partners, class projects, and activities to share at home. In this way, we hope to instill a love for mathematics and problem solving in each student. The mathematical strands include:
Numeration and Order: Counting Correct number sequences through rote counting and counting objects. Counting on from a number, backward, skip counting.Numeration and Order: Numeration Read and write numbers; use the term “digit”.Patterns, Functions, and Sequences Rules; dealing with more than one element; pairs and collections of things (objects and numbers); relationships; patterns. Measures and Measurement and Reference Frames: Measure Weight, linear measure; area. Customary and metric measurement units. Nonstandard units. Designate units; record results.Measures and Measurement and Reference Frames: Money Names and value of money; coins and bills. Underlying tool for teaching place value, fractions, equivalence, and the decimal system. Measures and Measurement and Reference Frames: Time Clocks; calendars; number line. Understanding the duration and relationship of time units. Ordering units of time.Geometry and Spatial Sense Informal and intuitive awareness about geometric shapes.Exploring Data and Chance Collect, organize, and display data. Tables and graphs. Make counts and comparison of data.Operations
Collect, organize, and display data. Make counts and comparison of data. Concrete problems that arise in children’s daily life. Story problems; reversibility; relation vocabulary. The things we “do” with numbers. The Everyday Mathematics program objective is to develop the view that mathematics is not just learning numbers and amounts. Instead, this is a research-based program that involves a way of thinking, exploring, discovering, explaining and justifying everyday life. This program is a “hands-on” approach that facilitates a variety of ways to solve math problems. The program’s dynamics work in a spiral and skills are introduced and re-introduced throughout the year. Our goal is to make math enjoyable as well as challenging. Foreign Language
The importance of learning a foreign language is not overlooked , and our students are introduced to either Spanish , French , or both at an early age . Our program consists of five focus areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, culture. ListeningStudents should be able to hear and respond to basic instructions and everyday expressions. Students should recognize numbers and quantity. Students should be able to recognize days and dates. Students should be able to understand salutations. SpeakingStudents should be able to ask basic questions. Students should be able to answer questions. Students should be able to repeat words and phrases. Students should be able to pronounce numbers 0-50. Students should be able to say the day and date. Students should be able to use typical salutations. Reading
Students should be able to recognize simple words and sounds. Students should be able to read word aloud with proper pronunciation. Students should be able to recognize and say numbers 0-50. Students should be able to read the day and date. Students should be able to read a basic dialogue. Writing
Students should be able to write the letter with sound. Students should be able to spell basic vocabulary. Students should be able to spell the numbers 0-50. Students should be able to write basic greetings. Culture
Students will learn age appropriate songs and rhymes. Students should have a basic understanding of major holidays and traditions. Art
Students are exposed to life drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, crafts, color theory, and art history. Attention is given to noted artists, artwork and art books, while hands-on projects develop an understanding of space, texture, shape and other important elements. Working with two- and three-dimensional materials, students learn to share their feelings and tell a story through artistic expression. A variety of art projects assigned are in collaboration with classroom studies and other disciplines. Major goals:
Discover design and pattern in art, objects, and nature
Develop skills of “looking”
Stimulate imaginative thinking
Explore various art techniques
Increase knowledge of the elements of art
Establish the understanding that art can be used as a form of communication
Build self-confidence
Improve manipulative skills
Physical Education
Children learn fundamental movement skills and begin to understand how the muscles, bones, heart, and lungs function in relation to physical activity. Students develop a vocabulary for movement and apply concepts dealing with space and body awareness. Students are engaged in activities that develop basic levels of strength, endurance, and flexibility. In addition, students learn to participate safely in group- and individual-movement settings. A major objective is to present activities that complement their natural inclination to view physical activity as challenging and enjoyable. Students will focus on learning basic body control while moving in a variety of settings. Students become aware of strength, endurance and flexibility in different parts of their bodies and begin to learn ways to increase health-related fitness. Music
Music provides a vehicle for students to become confident, creative and expressive individuals. In this discipline, practice and hard work are rewarded by recognition, growth in self-esteem, character development and enhanced intellectual functioning. The curriculum provides musical growth through a variety of program. Students study the basic elements of music through several approaches. Movement, rhythm instruments, dance, and body percussion activities teach rhythm. Melody is explored in song. Singing fun songs, informative songs that link with academic curriculum, songs from here, and songs from far away lead to positive musical experiences. Listening experiences, utilizing multi-media, add to age appropriate participation in music history/appreciation activities. Students are offered activities involving the basic elements of music, composition, dance, music vocabulary, and learning opportunities in creative performance and movement . Computer
The technology program is conducted through hands-on projects that integrate computer instruction with language arts, math, science, and social studies, health, music and art. Schedule
Daily Schedule
(2 and 3 year olds)
6:00 – 8:30 Arrival and Free Choice Areas
(see lesson plans)
Breakfast and Clean-Up
Circle Time
8:00 – 10:00 Free Choice Areas
(see lesson plans)
10:00–10:40 Outside Time or Indoor Large Motor
10:40–10:45 Juice/Water Break
10:45–11:15 Art/Sensory Activity
11:15- 11:30 Circle Time and Wash Hands
11:30–12:00 Lunch
12:00–12:30 Bathroom / Complete Diapering Rotation,
Prepare for Nap
12:30 Lights out for Nap
2:30 – 2:45 Waking Up,Quiet Activities,Bathroom Rotation
2:45 – 3:15 Snack (start time depending on naps)
3:15 _ 4:00 Afternoon Circle Time
4:00 – 4:45 Outside Time or Indoor Large Motor
4:45 – 4:55 Juice/Water Break
4:55 – 5:30 Library
(see lesson plans) Late Day Diapering
5:30 – 6:30 Discovery trays , Dismissal
Daily Schedule
(4 and 5 year olds)
6:00 AM - 7:30 TABLE TOP TOYS & Technology
7:30 AM - 8:30 Breakfast - books
8:30 AM - 9:30 Circle Time Poems, Rhyme, story time, music
DLM CURRICULUM (PHONICS)
(LANGUAGE ARTS)
(READING)
9:30 AM - 10:00 MATH (M/W/F)
SCIENCE (T/TH)
10:00 AM-10:20 Snack
10:20 AM-11:20 OUTDOOR PLAY-Physical education
11:20 AM-11:40 Bible
11:40AM- 12:00 Spanish / French lesson
12:00 AM-12:30 Lunch
12:00 PM- 2:00 Rest Time
2:00 PM – 2:30 Bathroom / Snack
2:30 PM – 3:00 STORY TIME
3:00 PM - 3:30 Site words - Journaling
3:30 PM - 4:00 Art- Nutrition Activities
4:00 PM - 5:15 Learning Centers Technology Centers
5:15 PM - 6:30 Quiet Activities , Dismissal
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