Program Goals

We at The Children's Center of Brighton have developed our philosophy based on years of experience working with young children, on ideas endorsed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and on current research and theory in early childhood education.

Play

Play is vital to the growth of young children; children of all ages learn through play. Play is the way children actively and meaningfully learn about their world and gain social, cognitive, motor, language and emotional skills. We feel that our philosophy regarding play is supported by research and theory on active learning, and we base our program for all ages on this concept.

By experimenting and exploring their environments, children add meaning to their world, develop confidence in effecting their world and develop a sense of trust and competence.

Anti-Bias Curriculum

We are committed to providing the children with an awareness of and exposure to differences and similarities in ethnic backgrounds, family configurations, and gender issues. We help children appreciate their uniqueness as well as the uniqueness of others. We are a school focusing on inclusion and a high emphasis is placed on this in all of our programs.

Guidance And Behavior Management

Our goal is to provide positive approaches to behavior management. Our belief is that children learn best to control their behaviors when they have caring adult role models who understand children and accept the premise that it is all right to feel angry, upset, or frustrated; however, it is not all right to hurt ourselves or others, whether physically or verbally, when we are expressing our feelings.

Clear and definite limits are established for each group, with the help of the children whenever appropriate. When problems arise, teachers help children solve their problems by recognizing their feelings, talking with the children in "I" language, stating the desired behavior, giving reasons for the desired behavior and guiding the children to an acceptable solution. We believe that it is extremely important for young children to learn how to problem solve and resolve conflicts in a non-violent manner. We further believe that the best way of helping children express themselves in an appropriate way is by providing an environment which is respectful and adults who listen and help to build self-esteem and confidence in children through support and guidance.

We have found that this approach is effective and easily modified to meet the needs of each age group. At the core of this philosophy is the basic premise that children want to cooperate and need adults to help guide them in self-control and understanding.