Appletree Christian Learning Center, East Lansing

Our play-based program's philosophical principles are based upon current best practices for educating young children, knowledge of child development, and theories of child behavior. Our primary philosophical beliefs are: - All children have the right to be nurtured, respected, and embraced as competent (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 1998). - Children construct knowledge by active participation with materials and the environment (DeVries,1994). - Purposeful play is when children learn through the process of their efforts (Bruski & Ettema, 2004) - Children should be guided through both child- and teacher-planned activities that are purposeful and enhance children's skills in all areas of development (Smilansky, 1990). - It is necessary to emphasize the development of the "whole child" with a focus on promoting social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development (Hendrick, 2001). - Assessment of children should be on-going, reflective of children's experiences, and occur within the context of daily classroom activities (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992). - Collaboration between families and teachers supports the development of the child and home-school relationships (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). The role of the adults in the environment is to reflect the philosophy of the program. These beliefs give purpose to our program and define our practice.