Philosophy and Beliefs
The Neighborhood School is a developmental and progressive school that offers a caring and experiential environment for 2, 3, 4, and 5-year children and their families. We provide an environment in which children can grow to their fullest potential, socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and creatively. The school offers a child focused, play based curriculum that u
tilizes classroom activity areas/centers to provide a wide variety of developmentally appropriate experiences. The children’s self-directed play allows for social interaction at many levels and fosters the development of friendships, problem-solving skills and social and emotional growth. Our anti-bias curriculum embraces a rich variety of cultural experiences, traditions, customs, and family structures on a regular basis. It also helps develop a child’s sense of self, awareness of diversity and an appreciation of differences. In the classrooms, activities include block building, dramatic play, science investigations, puzzles, and playing with manipulative. Creative expression is encouraged through the exploration of music and movement, art projects and children’s literature The language, literacy and innumeracy rich program supports the growth of early reading, writing and math skills in keeping with the children’s different developmental rates and styles of learning. We embrace “emergent” curriculum as it arises out of children’s interests and questions and integrate the ideas presented in the classroom. In the yards, the climbing structures, sand and water, easels, bikes, and playhouses provide for vigorous play and the development of physical and social competence. Our philosophy and curriculum are founded on certain fundamental beliefs.
• Each child is a unique individual, with his/her own rate of development, temperament, personality, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses.
• We believe in the “unhurried child”. Each child must pass through the same stages of development, in the same order, but they must do so at their own rate. They must have time to complete each stage, experiencing a rich variety of developmentally appropriate opportunities.
• Children learn most effectively through relevant “hands on “ experiences. They must be given plenty of opportunity to explore, manipulate, and discover as well as observe, reflect, and question.
• A program should stimulate curiosity, enthusiasm, creativity and critical thinking.
• Children’s efforts as well as successes should be acknowledged and supported.
• At the preschool level, the process is of utmost importance, rather than the product.
• Attempting, sometimes failing, practicing, and mastering new skills will enable a child to develop competence and a positive self-concept.
• Children must gain independence, age appropriately, first through a thoughtful separation process and then through beginning to learn to take responsibility for their behavior, choices and impact on the class as a whole.
• Children must be allowed and encouraged to feel their full range of emotions. Be it happiness, sadness, anger, jealousy or fear, each emotion is a very important part of the child’s being.
• As children learn about their feelings, they can learn appropriate ways of expressing them. This self-awareness also leads to an awareness of the feelings of others and the development of empathy.
• With this environment, children will learn the socialization skills necessary to prepare them for kindergarten and society. Emphasis will be placed on mutual respect, compassion, cooperation, self-regulation and problem solving, to mention a few.
• Children must learn at an early age to celebrate the many differences and similarities among the people of the world. This must start in the school, the child’s world.
• The physical environment affects the behavior and development of both the children and adults in the school. A school must be clean, well organized, and thoughtfully prepared; the well-designed spaces should put the children into the role of thinker, explorer, inquirer, budding reader and writer, and awaken their curiosity and urge them to make sense of the world around them.
