Educational Philosophy
We believe children develop optimally within a community of trusting relationships in an authentic nurturing environment. Respecting that the family is the first teacher, our collaboration with the child and her/his family is essential. Integral to our philosophy is recognizing that children are competent learners who develop socially, emotionally, physically, creatively, and cognitively in an integrated fashion. Children have an innate curiosity and, as active learners, they construct their understanding of the world through their social interactions with peers, adults, and materials.
Curriculum
The Children's Campus uses a curriculum model that is play-based and emergent. In this type of curriculum, children construct their knowledge through hands-on experiences within a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment. Children are given choices and are encouraged to strengthen their understanding of the world through a variety of natural materials and activities. The curriculum emerges with the children's growing interests and skill levels as the year progresses. Activities and materials are chosen by teachers to reflect the children's interests and to meet specific developmental goals. These goals are guided by the California Learning and Development Foundations and the California Desired Results Development Profile(DRDP) assessment (see links below) along with the teachers' knowledge of child development and the individual needs of the children and families in their classrooms. Close observation and teacher reflection inform the planning of curriculum in order to create engaging, interesting, and challenging experiences for the children throughout the year. Most of all, children are supported in developing strong social-emotional skills, respect for self, each other, and their community.
Classroom Information
- There are six classrooms at the Children’s Campus: 2 infant, 2 toddler and 2 preschool.
- Children’s Campus adheres to requirements for group size and staff-to-child ratios established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
- Infants are enrolled in either the Chickadee or Hummingbird classrooms. The ratio is 1:3 with a group size of 6. Infants must be six months of age to begin attending.
- Toddlers are enrolled in either the Robin or Sparrow classrooms. Both classrooms have a group size of 12. One toddler classroom serves older toddlers with a ratio of 1:6. One classroom serves younger toddlers with a ratio of 1:4 during the academic year and 1:6 in the summer.
- Preschoolers are enrolled in either the Owl or Hawk classrooms. During the academic year, the ratio is 1:8 with a group size of 16. In the summer, the two preschool classrooms are often combined, in which case the group size increases to 20, with a 1:10 ratio.
Licensing
Children’s Campus is licensed by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. Community Care Licensing (CCL) regulations outline health and safety, environment, facility and administration requirements that must be followed by all child care programs. Each time an analyst visits the center, there is a “Notice of Site Visit” which informs everyone that there was a visit and if there were any violations found and if so, which type. These notices, along with a copy of our licenses, are posted on the communication board in the front entrance. To learn more about the California licensing regulations, please visit the Community Care Licensing website.
In compliance with the Healthy Schools Act, child care centers must provide an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan. Provided below is Children's Campus IPM plan.
Children's Campus Integrated Pest Management Plan
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