Child Care Philosophy
In a safe, loving, respectful environment, children have the greatest opportunity to grow and develop. Such an environment should be the foundation of all childcare programs, however, I believe it is an educator’s duty to go above and beyond safety, love and respect. We, as educators, should strive to create an environment that is fulfilling, enriching and supporting of all possible learning and growing opportunities.
How Children Learn
To seek out these opportunities an educator must first understand the way children learn. Although all children learn differently, most have a general need in each stage of their childhood that can be met by their caregiver.
The first step of development for an infant is trust. With comfortable and predictable care, infants feel at ease with the opportunities to explore themselves and the world around them.
Toddlers are more mobile and have a need to explore to a greater extent. They also have a great need to gain independence. Caregivers should support these needs by providing lots of opportunities for exploration and self-sufficiency including a safe environment, which allows plenty of independent and explorative opportunities, and toys and materials that support his or her new abilities and encourage those that are yet to come.
At preschool age, children are learning many cognitive skills to prepare them for kindergarten. For some educators, it is natural to dismiss the importance of play at this age and spend more time on structured, teacher directed lessons. There are other educators who feel that preschoolers are too young and immature to handle such rigorous work as reading, writing and arithmetic, so they provided an environment that is all play with very little cognitive learning. I believe that the best environment for preschoolers is one that consists of some cognitive lessons and much developmentally appropriate play. At this age, I believe that play should be the majority of a child’s day because the right kind of play can be very enriching.
One of the most important things for a school-age child to learn is to socialize effectively. At this age, children have a need for acceptance and self-identity. Children should be given opportunities to socialize as young as infancy. At preschool age, they can begin to learn how to share, be kind, handle conflict, etc. If an older child has been taught to socialize, he or she will have a greater opportunity to develop good self-esteem.
Quality Caregivers Never Stop Learning
I believe that a quality childcare provider never sits back with ease and accepts that there is no more room for improvement. No matter how wonderful the program is, or how well trained the provider, there is always more that can be done.
A quality provider constantly evaluates his or her program, the staff, the children, the community needs, and his or herself. Regular assessments are crucial because they point to exactly what needs to be improved.
A quality provider is also never finished learning about his or her work. Everyday we learn through experience, but it is also our responsibility to stay current on issues relating to child care and development, by attending conferences, joining groups, reading journals, etc.
