The quality of care provided
to a child in his or her early years can be
critical to their development.
Early childhood experiences, particularly
in the first three years of life,
are crucial. Brain development is heavily
impacted by early environmental
factors, which can promote or hinder
learning skills from adolescence through
adulthood. A healthy and safe
early childhood setting can also prevent cognitive
and behavioral
disorders later in life, some of which are irreversible.
Childrens Academy focuses on the Whole Child concept of developmental
skills
known as PIES (Physical,
Intellectual, Emotional
and Social ). PIES
is designed
to foster positive relationships and aid in the growth and
development
of children during the important first years of life. The PIES
Curriculum
is based on the theory that play and meaningful interaction
positively
impact development.

Childrens Academy has a yearly curriculum that includes a monthly
theme and
then individual weekly themes. Each week a letter, number,
color and shape
are introduced. Teachers produce weekly lesson plans
that include all the
elements connected to the weekly and monthly theme.
Activities are then designed
around these themes and utilize the
developmental concept of PIES.
A
child is not born with Physical skills. How to ride a bike,
catch a ball or
even crawl and walk, are all skills that must be taught. Teaching
these
skills can all be done through play, yet attaching sound, vocabulary,
and
definition all become a part of learning.
Letters
and numbers are not introduced in order. Part of the Intellectual
component is to introduce them randomly so that by putting letters
together
a child is reading. The same is implied with numbers as the
beginning stages
of adding and subtracting.
Being away from your child is
just as hard on your child as it is on you.
Separation anxiety has to be
dealt with in a loving, compassionate way.
Helping a child feel safe is
a part of Emotional development and one
that is easily taught
and learned.
Social skills such as sharing
and patience are crucial in the healthy
development of any child. Teaching
a child to share, wait for their turn
and saying please and thank you are
difficult but are all a part of social
development.
