You probably have noticed that our classrooms have a lot of noisy bustle. Children are moving, talking, playing, and exploring. Research and experience tell us that to be effective with young children, teaching practices need to be “developmentally appropriate.” What this means is simply that educators need to think first about what young children are like and then create an environment and experiences that are in tune with children’s characteristics.

Children ages 2-6 learn best through direct interactive experiences. They learn extraordinary amounts through play and exploration. The younger children are, the greater the need to place emphasis on items that are relevant and interesting to them at the moment, not in the context of some future learning. A developmentally appropriate program involves active learning. It takes advantage of a child’s natural desire to move and touch. Young children love to manipulate items and explore new ideas. They enjoy the opportunity to see how things work and to test their own theories.

We have organized our classroom environments to promote active learning, and we do lots of things to encourage children to think and talk about their discoveries and creations. We thank you for sharing your precious children with us, and we welcome you to a community that will take advantage of your child’s natural motivations, abilities and interests to promote active learning that is developmentally appropriate.