Philosophy
Within these walls, we seek to assist and further human growth and development, in an effort to provide a much needed service to the children and families within the community. As public schools become more streamlined, (teaching only to the test), we strive to establish a caring, supportive and respectful environment using routines, structure, and child/family centered curriculum.
It is our belief that individuals develop most optimally within a caring, supportive and respectful community and environment. We focus on intellectual growth and development, which we believe is inseparable from physical, social, moral, and aesthetic growth. We provide practice in intellectual discipline and exploration.
The children are exposed to a variety of learning environments which promote curiosity, inquiry, investigation, and discovery through process based learning; utilizing time as a variable, and learning as the constant. We try to promote habits and reflexes of mind that generate the development of inquiry and thought, as well as providing practice in intellectual discipline and exploration.
We support these children in realizing responsibility for their actions and their individual learning processes.
It is the aim here at “linfanzia Daycare” to create a community dedicated to lifetime learning and fulfillment, not only for the present generation but for generations to follow.
Principles
- The centrality of learning rather than teaching
- Respect for all members of a community
- The richness of human growth and development, while acknowledging the uniqueness of each person.
- Responsiveness to each stage of human development.
- The realization that all children can learn at personally challenging levels of achievement.
- The interdependence of individual and communities.
- The reciprocal responsibilities of self and group.
- A commitment to the best that is within each person.
- An awareness of an increasingly global village, community, and world with respect for diversity!
Foundations in Philosophy
I am a strong follower of Magda Gerber. Madga Gerber is an educator and infant specialist, who emigrated from Hungary, where she was trained by Dr.Emmi Pikler a world renown physician. Dr. Pikler ran an institute for orphans in Budapest. The Loczy institute for orphans has been recognized as a leader in emphasizing the importance of a baby’s freedom and inciative. Along with fellow researcher Tom Forrest, M.D. they developed a unique philosophy and methodology for working with infants and developed the demonstration infant Program in Palo Alto, California (1972-1977) and in 1978 founded Resources for Infant educators (RIE) to continue presenting this approach to parents and professionals. Magda Gerber coined the term “Educarer” to describe embedding education in the process of caring for infants. Factors like basic trust; environment, uninterrupted play, freedom to explore, and responsive care giving are but a few of the qualities that Magda encourages when working with infants. Although many argue that Gerber’s work is defined by children reaching their fullest potential despite being brought up in an orphanage, many similarities can be made between children living in an orphanage and children living in the age that we do, given the resources or lack of, many children don’t reap the benefits of positive family structures, quality schooling, and an involved, interactive community around them. My experience has been that we as people are still grappling with issues such as class, race, and education, when dealing with one another on levels of trust and integrity. Add complicated family situations and dynamics, parent involvement, family make-up, priority placed on raising children, and children’s place within the fabric of our society, and you get many similarities of children being raised in an orphanage. It seems many of the greatest theories of child development came from studies surrounding seeking a child’s greatest potential while being surround by less than optimal situations. Reggio Emilia, who studied under Loris Malaguzi in Italy, creator of the Reggio curriculum, is one of the greatest Educators in our time.
We encourage Respect, Honor and Esteem. A Childs’ personality is largely formed in the first three years. Magda Gerber gained a unique understanding of how parents, teachers and providers can nurture the development of a genuine, authentic child by encouraging their spontaneity and drive to learn and discover on their own. These simple ideas are based on giving full attention and engaging the child during everyday care giving, activities like feeding, bathing and diapering.
Respect means accepting, enjoying and loving a child as he/she is and not expecting them to do what they cannot do. It means allowing your child time, space, love and support to be themselves and to discover the world in their own unique way. It takes the de-centering of ourselves as adults, and allowing ourselves to understand different pints of view. Competence, confidence, curiosity, attentiveness, exploration, cooperation, security; peacefulness; resourcefulness; sense of involvement; an inner-directed more self aware and interested child.
Defining Curriculum through an “Educarer’s” perspective.
- Basic trust in the child to be an inciator, an explorer, and a self- learner. Trusting the Childs’ abilities to inciate their own activities, choose from available objects, and work on their own projects without interruption.
- An environment for the child that is physically safe, cognitively challenging and emotionally nurturing.
- Allows children time for uninterrupted play, using time as a tool for learning, seeing each moment as a potential learning opportunity.
- Freedom to explore and interact with other children. Providing appropriate space for the child to freely inciate their own movements without interference; helping the child feel comfortable, competent, and self-reliant.
- Involvement of the child in all care activities to allow the child to become an active participant rather than a passive recipient. We focus on observing the e whole child, their reactions to the environment, the caregiver, their friends; allowing a caregiver to gather information on the Childs’ personality and needs.
- Sensitive observation of a child in order to understand his/her needs.
- Consistency and clearly defined limits and expectations to develop discipline. Respect for and application of boundries; allow a child to know what is expected of them through appropriate limit setting, enforcing boundries; allowing a child to cooperate with these boundaries.
- Accept and support the independence and dependence based on whatever developmental stage they are in.
- Encourage a Childs authenticity by allowing them to be honest about their feelings. “To thine own self be true”, this mantra allows a child to be who they are thus facilitating the development of a more authentic individual.
Infants have their own curriculum: Our curriculum plans focus on how best to create a social, emotional, and intellectual climate that supports child-initiated and child pursued learning
Few people would admit that they don’t respect children. To practice respect in each interaction with the child is more difficult than just understanding the theory. Magda Gerber has given us solid practices in child development and are practiced daily here at “Natural Wonders” infant and toddler program.
Maslow was a humanistic psychologist, who developed a theory of personality that has influenced a number of fields, including education. His theory accurately describes many realities of personal experience. People often recognize some features of their experience or behavior which is true and definable, but which they have never put into words. As a humanist, Maslow focused on potentials. That humans strive for an upper level of capabilities. They seek frontiers of creativity, the highest reaches of consciousness and wisdom. Maslow has set up a hierarchy base on these needs. All of his basic needs are instinctual, geared towards survival. Beyond these needs, higher level needs exist. These included needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation, and purely spiritual needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied and so on. Maslow offers ways education can include these humanistic points. For example, we should try to teach people to be authentic, aware of their inner selves, and listen to their inner voices. Here we start early to help children find their path and discover their bliss throughout their lifetime.
Erickson was a psychoanalyst who describes the physical, emotional, and psychological stages of development and relates specific issues or developmental work or tasks to each stage of development. For example, if an infant’s physical and emotional needs are met sufficiently, the infant completes his/her task developing the ability to trust others. If a toddler is not allowed to learn by doing, he develops a sense of self doubt in his/her capabilities, which may complicate later attempts at independence.
Child psychologist Jean Piaget describes the mechanism by which the mind processes new information. He stated that a person understands whatever information fits into his/her established view of the world. When information does not fit, the person must reexamine and adjust their thinking to accommodate new information. Piaget describes four stages of cognitive development and relates them to a person’s ability to understand and assimilate new information. I use Piagets theories of development to design the children’s curriculum and individualize with the ways each child processes information.
The Reggio Emilia approach is hailed as an exemplary model of early childhood education. The Reggio Emilia approach to education is committed to the creation of conditions for learning, that will enhance and facilitate children’s construction of his/her own powers of thinking, through the synthesis of all the expressive, communicative and cognitive languages. The “Hundred Languages of Children” is an art exhibit that portrays the work of children who have followed this educational curriculum. It is a wonder to behold. Projects and documentation define the Reggio approach.
