Early Childhood
At St. Sylvester School
Jean Piaget notes,
"Play is the work of childhood."
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.”
Mr. Rogers elaborated,
Our early childhood program embraces the philosophy that play is essential to learning and development. Inspired by this philosophy our curriculum, ensures that every playful interaction fosters cognitive, social, and emotional growth. We believe that through play, children not only explore their world but also build the foundational skills necessary for lifelong learning.
Respectful Relationships
We believe that children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3) and are strong, capable learners. We understand that a positive, nurturing relationship between each individual child and the teacher is the foundation for learning because it is through relationships that teachers of young children can guide their learning and behavior. We value the importance of relationships with children’s parents because we believe that parents are a child's first and most important teacher. We believe that collaborative learning experiences are more effective than experiences in isolation and work to foster positive relationships between the children in the class. All of these relationships reflect the love and forgiveness of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Environment
We honor the importance of a Christ-centered developmentally appropriate environment for all children as they play, learn, and grow. We believe that the environment is an integral part of a child’s development. We pay careful attention to each student’s individual capabilities so that the environment can be enhanced to appropriately support and / or challenge the children as they grow and mature. We believe that children develop at their own pace.
Student
Individuality
We honor student individuality and cultural background. The classroom is a democratic space where all children’s voices are important and valued. We honor knowledge, skills, and experiences children bring with them into the classroom as well as their questions. Each child’s unique individual knowledge enhances the class’s collective understanding. We believe that education must be holistic in nature in order to address the student’s intellectual, social/emotional, physical, creative, and spiritual growth.
Play
Our teachers meet the needs of the whole child- intellectually, spiritually, socially, and physically using an integrated approach to provide meaningful experiences to support children in all areas. It is our belief that young children learn best about God’s world through hands-on experimentation and exploration. Play is integral to a young child’s growth and development for it is through play that a child unveils the world. We balance guided and free choice play to support student development. Through Big Shoulders Fund and a partnership with the Erikson institute, our teachers receive coaching on how to best support students through play. We utilize resources such as Heggerty to support children’s phonemic awareness through playful interactions. We believe learning occurs when children are not just doing what the teacher says, but when children are strategic and take ownership of their learning.