Educational Goals

I. Personal and Social Skills 1. Provide opportunities for children to grow as individuals and experience feelings of self-worth. 2. Promote a healthy self concept by encouraging the development of trust and security. 3. Encourage the development of independence and self help skills. 4. Encourage the development of social skills such as cooperation and respect for others. 5. Encourage the interaction of children with other children and adults in small and large group settings. II. Language 1. Encourage children to develop the verbal skills necessary to communicate feelings, thoughts, and needs. 2. Expose children to an accepting environment rich in language opportunities including the development of listening skills. III. Physical Growth 1. To provide a safe, secure environment in which children can explore the space around them and learn to use their bodies with control. 2. Develop an awareness in children of the importance of taking care of one’s body by exposure to sound nutritional practices and physical fitness goals. 3. Provide the children with a variety of opportunities to practice fine and gross motor skills according to each child’s developmental needs and abilities. IV. Active Learning 1. Offer children a variety of activities that aid in their intellectual and cognitive growth. 2. Allow children to actively explore the attributes and functions of materials with all their senses. 3. Encourage the discovery of relations through direct experiences. 4. Provide opportunities for predicting problems and devising ways to solve them. 5. Encourage the development of creativity and imagination.