Foundations Early Learning Child Care Ministry, Noblesville

Foundations Early Learning Childcare Ministry is a Faith-based Christian Preschool and Child Care program for children 18 months through 6 years old. We offer open-ended learning opportunities for children to learn through meaningful and developmentally appropriate learning experiences. We are Reggio Emilia Approach-Inspired, and follow Emergent Curriculum. Our goal is to prepare ourselves to meet each individual child where they are. Emergent Curriculum is a way of planning curriculum based on the childrens interests, discoveries and passions, as well as the teachers. Children are naturally capable learners, and they learn best when they are interested and their attention is captured. Authentic curriculum is not found in a box, but is what actually happens in real time and space within a meaningful learning environment between children and dedicated teachers. To plan emergent curriculum, teachers must be diligently committed to observing, documenting, brainstorming, and most importantly, building strong relationships with each individual child. The goal of Emergent Curriculum is to respond to every individual childs interests, passions and developmental capabilities. To develop curriculum in depth, adults must notice childrens questions and invent ways to extend them, document what happens, and invent more questions. The process is naturally individualized. In contrast, standardized curriculum comes from unknown experts outside the classroom. It relies on generalization rather than on an individual teachers creativity and attentiveness to individual learners. Indeed, standard curriculum may squelch teacher thinking. What it permits is linear planning and assessment that is responsive to bureaucratic needs in a large nation with large educational systems. In this approach, responsive teaching is sacrificed to efficiency, and only outcomes are measured. (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2012) High quality early childhood learning environments are grounded in best practice. Our program targets all developmental domains: Spiritual, Physical, Social & Emotional, Cognitive and Language & Literacy. Developmentally appropriate practice requires meeting children where they are, which means we have to know them well, and then enable them to reach goals that are both challenging and achievable. All practices should be appropriate to their ages and stages of development. Experiences must be fit for a childs learning and development and challenging enough to promote progress and interest. Development happens in sequences, and occurs at varying rates within each individual. Early experiences have profound effects on a childs development and learning. Children develop best when they have secure, consistent and responsive relationships.