Learning through play is uniquely at the heart of the CCNS experience because play is the main way preschoolers learn and develop ideas about the world. We offer a nurturing, creative, and carefully prepared environment and opportunities for open-ended play which provide a medium for children to explore new concepts and social situations, develop important skills and understand that their thou
ghts and ideas are valued and respected. Our emergent-based curriculum builds upon children’s natural curiosity and interests. Skilled teachers carefully observe their students at play then respond to, extend and guide that play to help children learn more. As they see a of interest develop, teachers design curriculum and activities to challenge the students’ thinking and facilitate a discovery of their questions and wonders. When a topic of interest lends itself to further exploration, teachers and students work together to plan out a more robust project of study. Students ask questions, gather resources, conduct “fieldwork,” document their findings and report on what they discovered. This project approach at CCNS delivers on important development objectives while deeply engaging children, building motivation for continued questioning and fostering a life-long love of learning and exploration.
