At Munchkinland Child Care, we invite all families to participate in our program of fun and interesting activities. We develop activity programs based on the philosophy that children learn through experiencing a combination of self-initiated and adult-directed activities in a child-centered environment. Our child-centered learning environments are designed at the child’s level to encourage children to initiate their own activities throughout the day. We offer children a variety of social learning experiences through large group, small group, and individual activities. With our children ranging from age six weeks through twelve years, our program is viewed as a continuous process of building blocks. We begin with the blocks of skills acquired as infants, and we build onto those with blocks of new skills as children move from one age group to the next. Most importantly, we provide the children with lots of love and support as they continue to explore new surroundings and new relationships, and as they develop new skills through participating in our program.

The environment is carefully planned based on an assessment of each child’s skills. Planning is most obvious by the presence of learning centers in every classroom. Centers enable children to make choices and learn through active exploration. These centers include art, dramatic play, manipulative or small motor skills, gross motor play or blocks, sand, water, books listening, etc. Teachers make available a wide variety of activities in each learning center. Children are encouraged to explore all learning centers. Teachers provide an external structure for the day and provide the children time to work in the centers. In a center environment, children move about freely, and learn by doing. Their exploration of the environment is usually self-initiated. Because of the variety of materials, children can learn several different skills in each center. Creativity is enhanced by the open-ended nature of the learning materials. A sense of responsibility and powerfulness is also promoted by allowing children to choose their own activities. They learn to work and talk with others. They meet problems and solve them. All the time growing in confidence and self-respect. The child and the process are not separable: the child's experience is the learning process.

Children learn best through a concrete, play oriented approach to education. For a young child, learning something new is often the result of interaction between their thoughts and experiences, and the surrounding environment. The value of play cannot be overstated. It is through play that children develop curiosity and imagination, learn to concentrate and make confident decisions. We provide a developmentally appropriate program, stressing child initiated, child-directed, adult supported play in a safe and nurturing environment. Our curriculum offers a variety of attractive, stimulating activities, which promote physical, social, emotional, creative and cognitive development. Activities are geared to the age appropriateness of the group, as well as the individual needs of each child in the group.

Perhaps a story. Or quiet music. Or a gradual approach to rhythmic activity and dancing, or crawling and jumping and growing like flowers or blowing like the wind. Or we go outdoors to run, jump, balance, slide, play and feel the sun on our face. Time to grow. Time and room to explore, to experiment and reason, and to discover. Time to play. Time to be a child.

Sometimes a brief period of whispers. A quiet time. Relaxation. A savoring within of good feelings. An involvement time when there is a very special closeness between child and child. And between teacher and child. A love time. A child’s time. A magic time at Munchkinland!

Development is circular; therefore we are sensitive to all areas of growth. Young children view the world concretely and as they mature their views change. Developing physical skills lays the foundation for cognitive abilities in reading, writing and math. By listening to how adults and older children use words, young children gradually expand their vocabularies. Environments become larger and richer as they learn to understand others and express their ideas more effectively. As a child’s abilities and self-confidence grow, they become increasingly capable of learning through their mistakes. They develop the initiative to explore, and to take risks. When they are encouraged to make choices for themselves, children experience a sense of control over their lives. The more they can do, the more willingly they will attempt new and increasingly challenging tasks.

Independence is an outgrowth of trust. In this environment children can feel safe and are encouraged to explore not only materials but also their relationships with peers and adults. Children feel important and valued when others listen to them, seek out their ideas, and allow them to express themselves. They learn that what they do and say is important and has an effect on others.

We feel that young children function best in a consistent program and with familiar caregivers. Warm positive relationships with adults help children develop a sense of trust and feelings of worth. Because a child’s experience at Munchkinland is a supplement to their home experience, we feel very strongly that staff and families must work together in order to provide for optimal development of the children. When we are all working toward a common goal, the children’s sense of security, self-confidence and individual worth can’t help but blossom.

Childcare is available at our center from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm , Monday through Friday. Teachers set up their own routine, based on the needs of the group and the individuals within that group. Therefore, each class may have a different schedule, but the content is the same. We group children according to their social and emotional maturity as well as their chronological age. We take special care to provide consistency and a warm loving environment for those long days away from home.

Some of the attendant beliefs of a developmentally appropriate,
child-centered curriculum are:

› Play is the child’s way of working and learning.
› Children’s play becomes their work as they discover new materials in the environment.
› Learning is what children do; it is not something that is done to them.
› The classroom environment will be designed to encourage self-learning with guided
   practice from the teacher.
› Children grow and develop at a unique, individual rate that is often unrelated to their ages.
› Classroom activities should support this developmental approach for children.
› Every child has the right to feel good about himself/herself.
› Enhancing of the child’s positive self-concept will be the focus of many classroom activities.
› Children’s natural curiosity and eagerness to learn are enhanced if children are
   free to follow their natural interests.
› A discovery approach to learning will be incorporated in the classroom to encourage and
   develop children’s curiosity.
› Children learn from interactions with other people.

The environment will be designed to encourage children to observe other children working, work with other children, and work individually. Children need a variety of opportunities in order to encourage creativity. The classroom will contain learning centers thereby encouraging simultaneously occurring learning activities. In this way, each child has an opportunity to work in a variety of centers using a variety of materials.

GOALS

• To provide a safe, consistent and enriched environment where developmentally
   appropriate activities encourage exploration and ”hands on” learning experiences.
• To enhance the sense of dignity and self-worth within the child and his/her family.
• To encourage spontaneity, curiosity and self-discipline.
• To enhance the child’s mental processes by building confidence and self esteem.
• To enhance patterns and expectations of success for the individual child.
• To consistently provide high quality care by continuously evaluating Center operations.
• To maintain the lowest possible staff to child ratios.
• To constantly encourage parent visitation, in-put and participation.

It is our feeling that Munchkinland Child Care is a place where parents, teachers, and children collectively build a community in which the importance of learning, respect, cooperation, compassion, and most of all, FUN, continue to motivate what we feel are a lively group of individuals.

Tuition

Please set up an appointment to discuss fees and to tour our beautiful center.

Special Needs Children and Their Families

The center will consider the enrollment of children with special needs. The center does not, however, primarily serve such children. Each special needs child will be considered on an individual basis. Before the application is considered, the parents must furnish the Director with a complete evaluation. If a child is admitted before any special needs have been identified, the center will reserve the right to request a complete evaluation to ascertain if the child’s needs can be fully met.

Outdoor Play

Outdoor play spaces have been designed with the concept of "continuous" play in mind. A variety of challenging activities will stimulate creative and social play. The equipment and designated age appropriate play areas will provide gross motor activity, which is so important to healthy growth and development. The playgrounds are fully fenced in and separated into age groups.