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Anti-Bias Statement
At the core of our school is an understanding that anyone who feels connected to what
we do is welcome. People of all colors,
sexual orientations/identities, family make-ups, religions, physical ability,
all income levels, educational levels, all lifestyles are welcome here. CSWS is inclusive. We model that behavior and
language for our children, families, community and staff. We actively resist
and challenge bias and work towards a cohesive community in the classroom and
school. Ultimately this impacts the whole community (and soon the world!) We
work and play together. This is what anti-bias looks like in the classroom:
girls can play with trucks, boys can wear dresses, two mamma’s (or papa’s) is a
family and so is one, mommy can go to work and daddy can stay home, some
families make their own babies and some families adopt their babies, some
people go to church/synagogue/temple, some do not, boys can cook and clean,
just because someone has grey hair doesn’t mean they are a ‘grandma’, girls can
be loud and physical, bodies come in all shapes and sizes, skin comes in lots
of colors and so does hair, there are lots of ways to have physical
ability. And the list goes on. At CSWS EVERY family is acknowledged, reflected
and welcome at our school. It is also important that the diversity of the
greater community is represented. We are constantly striving to increase the
ethnic diversity of our school community. One of the most powerful ways to fight
racism is to have a ‘relationship’ with someone of a different ethnicity than
yourself. Children are not born racist. When a child has a friend or play mate
that is not the same ethnicity as them, it allows them to have a human
connection that has nothing to do with color. They get to see each other not as ‘different’ but as friends and that is a very
powerful experience. Because we have predominantly Caucasian families at our
school it is even more important that we practice inclusion. Whenever
conversation happens around skin color we include all the colors of skin, not
just the ones in the room. Our selection of books, the pictures we hang on the
wall, music we listen to and materials we put on the shelves are all chosen to
reflect diversity. But we are careful to not create a stereotypical or ‘touristy’ view of culture and ethnicity. We do
NOT have Taco Tuesday or dress up in kimono’s to represent a culture, this
would only ‘create’ and reinforce stereotypes. Instead what we want to do is
use our developmentally appropriate approach and make the materials, pictures
and experiences ‘real’ and relevant to our children’s experience. They will see
pictures of children of all colors in jeans and t-shirts, just like them. We
will have chopsticks and sushi in the play kitchen a long side beans and slices
of pizza. These things are a ‘part’ of who we are and what we do. They are
familiar items. Stories we read will not be of distant lands and ancient
cultural traditions because ‘other countries’ and ‘ a long time ago’ are too abstract
at this age. The stories are about everyday people living their life and
promoting a respectful and ‘real’ picture of ethnic diversity.
Everything about our school comes from this place. A place of respect, justice and real
life. It is important that you know we respect your right to have your own family values
and religious beliefs. We do not ‘teach’ values or religion. We will never tell
a child that what their parents have told them is ‘wrong’ but we will ensure
that everyone in our classroom is treated with respect.
CSWS is a HATE FREE zone.
About our Philosophy
Children are learning all the time. Each child has their
own unique path and while most progress along a similar pattern of development
it look’s different for every child. We honor and respect children as
individuals and want to get to know them and find out what it is that ‘they’
bring to our school. One of our greatest roles as Early Childhood Educators is
to help each child learn how to ‘be’ in a community. Fundamental to our
approach is knowing and understanding what is DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE
PRACTICE (DAP) for the Pre-School age child. Much research has been done over the years to figure this out and
the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC.org) has a
tremendous amount of material available on the subject. DAP is about each
particular stage of development, what is going on in their brain and body and
what will be the most supportive program/environment for that stage? For example
a 2½ yr olds body is all about movement. They are just getting a good grasp on
mobility, even though they may have been walking for a while; their center of
gravity has shifted due to new growth. Now that they are getting their feet
again they want to move move move move move…It would not be DAP to require them
to sit at circle time. However a circle time that is dancing, jumping and uses
creative movement would be appealing to this age. A 4 year old has got their
feet firmly on the ground and while they are still moving…it would be
appropriate to ask that they join the group for a short story, or a few songs,
perhaps 10 to 15 minutes. If the activity is of particular interest to them
they may stay with you for 20 minutes, but constantly ‘requiring’ extended
periods of inactivity, like sitting at a table doing a workbook, is NOT
appropriate for this age child. DAP does what is best for the child. While
parents often want to encourage or push their children into reading and writing
at 3 and 4, from a DAP standpoint this is NOT the priority of early childhood.
Such activities, if not from the child’s own desire, are actually harmful and
can deter the process of learning to read and write at the appropriate time
(which is usually between 6 and 10 years old). What we DO want to do is provide
experiences that contribute towards the future success of reading and writing,
these are called ‘pre’ skills. Hence the term PRE-SCHOOL. The ‘pre’ skills needed
for reading and writing are eye hand coordination, strong finger muscles, gross
motor control, one to one correspondence, ability to focus and an intact desire.
With that in mind CSWS provides an ENRICHED ENVIRONMENT. Our classrooms are
full of developmentally appropriate materials that are inviting, beautiful and
designed to promote the ‘pre’ skills as mentioned above. The staff spends a
great deal of time assessing, planning and arranging the environment to promote
and facilitate children’s natural interest in the world around them. But that
doesn’t mean that Pre-School is only about learning to read and write. Without question THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT
OF A GOOD-SCHOOL PROGRAM IS SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
Pre-School is often a child’s first experience outside of the home. And it’s
very different out here than it is in there! CSWS offers a gentle, safe and
nurturing transition not only for your child but also for you! You don’t have
to listen to what ‘they’ all tell you. There is no rush. Pre-School
SHOULD BE FUN! It’s a time for children to play, make friends, learn
how to communicate with others, develop relationships outside of family, learn
how to go to the bathroom and wash their own hands, fall down and get hurt and
let someone other than mom help you out. It’s the place to learn that making
mistakes is OK, eating snack is fun, spilling the paint makes cool shapes and
that you can use the scissors when ever you want!!! It’s exhausting! A child is
always learning, and learning all these things is what your child is doing NOW.
When they are older they will be doing the reading and writing learning too,
but they need THIS first. At CSWS we focus on what a child is doing and needs
NOW. We pay attention to what is happening for them and the skills they are
developing now so that they can complete this stage and move on. If all we did
was practice being 5 then when would they ever get the chance to be 3½ ???
A term we use to describe our philosophy is ORGANIC
EDUCATION. In a more traditional setting subjects are removed from life in
order to ‘teach’ them. For example, we only ‘do math’ from 10:15 to 11am then we stop and ‘do’ science. Organic
Education incorporates them into everyday activities. For example, a child
having snack is not only participating in a social experience, but often the
conversation turns to math, “how many pieces of apple does Katie have?” As well
as nutrition (fruit is good for your whole body) geography (where do apples
grow) science (is it sweet or sour?) Our skilled teachers provide the bridging
activities necessary to make these connections. The result is relevant, real
life learning through actual life experience. Everything children experience is
a learning experience. The environment, the activities, the materials even the
books and puzzles on the shelf are purposely chosen and designed to enhance,
support and inspire LEARNING.
Pre-School
Curriculum
Math includes putting out attractive
things to count, sort and classify. Children have a more concrete understanding
that 10 pennies are more than 3 pennies when they see it and feel it. The snack
table is one of our favorite math activities. Children often count and sort
their snack and we make a point to ask questions such as, “If Emma eats 6 of
her pretzels how many will she have left?” It usually only takes one question
and then the children ask each other questions or they practice eatable
subtraction by themselves! We use the correct mathematical terms (more than,
less than, equal to, divide, subtract etc…) so that this language becomes a
part of their everyday experiences. Math is integrated into something real so
that children feel connected to it and it has direct relevance to them.
Science In our classrooms it looks like
measuring, pouring, filling and dumping in the sensory table, the sand box or
in the kitchen. We might measure how much rain fell or how big the tower of
blocks has become. We want children to be able to question things in the way
scientists do. Why doesn’t all this sand fit in this bottle but is able to fit
into this bucket? How does the water make the wheel go round? I wonder what
will happen if….It is from these experiences that children answer their own
questions and more importantly come up with new ones. Activities such as making
play dough and moon mud provide perfect opportunities to see science in action.
When I mix this with that, what do you think will happen? Children get to think
about the outcome and then actually experience it, reflect on their thoughts
and discuss the experience with their friends and with you at home. We want
children to really ‘think’ about things and to ask lots of questions.
Reading and writing are also skills that are naturally ‘learned’ through enriched
play exploration. Young children are building the dexterity to be able to
perform the physical task of reading and writing. They do this with small motor
experiences like puzzles, lacing and drawing with a pencil, even riding a bike
helps promote good coordination which in turn helps the brain organize it’s
functions. When a child’s body is growing in the early years (under age 8) the
signal between the brain and the body is not yet refined. The body is
impulsive, things happen spontaneously. When a child’s body tells her it needs to move, she needs to move NOW
and does not have the maturity or experience to know that she may be able to
move it at a later time! This is one reason that reading and writing should not
be forced onto children before they are DEVELOPMENTALLY able to perform the
task, because it puts unnecessary stress on the brain and does not allow for
those connections to occur according to its own blueprint. At CSWS we nurture
and support the child’s natural curiosity around reading and writing, we do not
force it. Most children LOVE to sit and listen to stories being read to them,
and we do that often, sometimes in small groups, sometimes one on one and it is
so delightful to see a child ‘read’ to another child. Even though they may not
actually be ‘reading’ the words they are doing the ‘act’ of reading and that is
the first step towards fostering a love for reading. In the 4’s and 5’s class
there is a much higher interest in letters because these children are starting
to make connections to the outside world and not just the one directly around
them. Developmentally they are ready to explore what other people do, how
things work in the world and how they fit into that. People in the world use
words to communicate and it is only natural that a child would want to do that
too. So the materials and opportunities provided follow this interest with a
print rich environment (lots of words posted) easy to read books, large
moveable letters, quiet reading and writing areas with plentiful supplies of
pencils and paper and a variety of ways to engage in such activity through
play, like taking orders at the restaurant, writing notes to friends, charting
favorite colors and pets and reading the calendar or playing post office.
Creative
Expression/Art is an exceptional opportunity for children to communicate with the world and to
process experiences in a way that words can not yet do for a young child. The
staff is purposeful in using language that opens up communication and critical
thinking. Such as, “Tell me about the colors you used?” or “I’m curious about
this part up here, can you tell me more about it?” We encourage children to
look for their own internal approval
of their creative expression. The value of the work should only be determined
by their experience. When a
child asks us “do you like this?” we return with a question, “Tell me what you
think of it?” or an observation such as “you seem really excited about your
drawing” so that the focus can return to their
own experience. Art is a very personal experience even at a young age and
we are careful not to belittle the experience as just “a cute thing to do” We
are also careful not to miss the simple joy of splashing paint on paper and
walking away. We know that that moment was all it needed to be. It’s not a
masterpiece or a waste of paper. It was a valid experience for that child in
that moment. In addition to the self service classroom activities, we have
created separate studio spaces for them to have an even more in depth
experience with planned projects that have been inspired by the children’s
interests.
Much of what happens in the studio and classroom art area
falls under the definition of small motor activity. Cutting, gluing, tearing,
sorting, using tape, painting, molding clay etc…This type of activity helps
build the small muscles in the fingers and hands, as well as strengthen eye
hand coordination, eye muscles, concentration, critical thinking and
communication, all of which are necessary pre-reading and writing experiences.
Not to mention FUN.
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