Our Values
Nurture Hearts ~ Inspire Minds
Mission
Our mission is to lay a foundation for growth by facilitating learning, modeling positive behavior, and communicating with dignity and respect for all to create a nurturing and safe environment for our community of children, parents, student support staff, teachers, and the greater Appalachian community.
Vision
To create an early learning environment that nurtures the hearts and inspires the minds of young children, their families, and their professional caregivers to positively impact our community and beyond.
Center Philosophy
We believe that children are competent beings who learn best through play. Teachers facilitate learning by intentionally planning environments to engage children’s individual and group interests. Teachers are to be observers of, and partners in, children’s play. Learning is extended for children when they interact with others and are allowed to investigate their interests with wonder and reflection. Adult observation is essential in identifying the interests of children and informing our emergent curriculum by following the child(ren)'s lead. We document children’s development through formal and informal observations to guide teacher support by challenging and reinforcing child learning.
Relationships are the heart of our work. Drawing from the work of Magda Gerber, we believe that the interconnected relationship between families and professional early care providers is based on respect and trust. Not only for one another, but in respecting and trusting that even our youngest children are natural inventors, and exploreres, and have a thirst for self-directed learning. We believe children of all ages should be treated and spoken to in ways that demonstrate respect and the individual's ability to be an active participant in their own life.
Community Connections and Involvement
We believe that all of us, each child, family, and staff, will develop self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities. We honor authentic, caring human connections with the understanding that everyone has gifts to share. We strive to increasingly recognize unfairness and be empathetic to those who are hurt. We work to empower ourselves and others with the skills to act and the language to speak against prejudice and/or discriminatory action.
