Philosophy & Curriculum:
Curriculum - Positive Discipline - Inclusion
Curriculum
All MCCA centers implement The Creative Curriculum and Developmental Continuum
Toolkit®, a research-validated curriculum and assessment for young children.
This child-centered, play-based curriculum fosters your child's growth and learning
through activities that promote healthy development and long-term educational achievement.
Child-Centered Planning:
Our developmentally appropriate curriculum emerges from careful observation of the
children in each classroom. Each teaching team uses a formal system for observing
their children's developmental stages and interests.
During weekly planning, these observations help the team recognize what their children
are ready to learn next, in order to plan appropriate hands-on activities within the
framework of The Creative Curriculum®. Weekly lesson plans and daily routines are
posted and shared with families.
Assessment of each child's development goes on throughout the year, and is shared
with you at regularly scheduled Parent Conferences, or upon request.
Why Child-Centered and Play-Based?
The recent explosion in brain research shows that the human brain learns best when:
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The body is safe, healthy, fed and well-rested
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The emotional context is positive and optimistic
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The learner considers the experience meaningful and relevant
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The activity is multi-sensory and experience-based
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There are opportunities for the learner to "try again" with self-chosen repetition
and practice
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The learning takes place within warm, caring and supportive relationships
These principles are at the heart of a child-centered, play-based curriculum.
At MCCA programs you will see:
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Children learning language, math, science and more, through exploration and
discovery with open-ended materials from choices like art, blocks, music and
dramatic play
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Ample one-on-one attention from and conversation with a consistent, loving,
responsive adult
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Active outdoor time that contributes to emotional and cognitive development,
as well as physical development
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Daily reading and story times that children look forward to as an introduction
to the world of literacy
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Opportunities for quiet time and rest.
Positive Discipline
At MCCA we believe the goal of discipline is to guide children towards self-control.
We provide a secure, comfortable environment where children are guided by clear and
consistent limits. To model appropriate behavior and alternatives to violence, we
do not use punishment in our programs. We help children learn appropriate ways to
express their feelings, and we model respect, trust, honesty and caring for others.
We approach child guidance from a child development perspective. Techniques such
as distraction and redirection are used with our youngest children. As children
grow, we add to these approaches and use more language. We label children's feelings
and help them learn to express their feelings in words. As their cognitive abilities
develop, we discuss and implement the logical consequences of inappropriate behavior.
We actively engage our schoolage children in making the rules for their program,
writing their classroom constitution, and practicing conflict resolution strategies.
This active involvement helps our schoolagers grow in self-esteem and personal power-traits
which will help them resist peer pressure, gangs and other potentially negative influences
throughout their lives.
Inclusion
At Montgomery Child Care Association, we honor the uniqueness of each child,
and welcome all children regardless of developmental abilities. We create
individualized plans for all our children, to identify each child's strengths
and areas of emerging growth and to provide strategies to support each child.
These plans are reviewed and updated regularly, and shared with you.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, we welcome and include
children with special needs. An individual consultation helps us determine whether
our program can meet the needs of your child.
When a child needs additional support, our staff and your family will work as
a team to develop a comprehensive plan for your child. Our Education Director,
School Age Resource Coordinator and Mental Health Consultant may help in this
planning. We work closely with your family, your child's school and county agencies
serving children with special needs.
