Educational Philosophy | Grove School

State early learning standards

Megan Riede | October 26, 2009 | Comment

It’s imperative to us that your child’s education maps to your state’s early learning standards. Our curriculum aligns with, and in some cases, exceeds these standards so that your child is prepared for kindergarten and beyond.

To read more about your state’s standards, here are some resources:

North Carolina

Early Learning Standards for Preschoolers and Strategies for Guiding Their Success
North Carolina Office of School Readiness

Texas

Texas Education Agency early childhood education curriculum
Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
Texas Education Agency Curriculum

Megan directs our program development team and oversees educational curriculum for the company. Formerly she taught 3rd grade in the CA Public Schools for 5 years and worked as a producer for 5 years at Leapfrog developing interactive toys for 3-6 year olds.

Keywords: child development, early childhood education, Grove School, North Carolina, state standards, Texas

The benefits of early childhood education

Meg Davis | October 26, 2009 | Comment

During their early years, children go through critical stages of development, and consistent, high-quality education can have long-lasting, beneficial effects on the overall development of children. Choosing a preschool in which your child will be loved and cared for is of utmost importance, of course. But it’s also important to select a school that will partner with your family to ensure your child’s healthy development throughout his or her early years.

Social and Emotional Development

Having your child attend the same preschool program throughout his or her early years allows him or her to develop relationships with the adults and children in that environment, which provides a sense of security. A child who is comfortable with the people in his or her life is more likely to participate in learning opportunities and in advanced cooperative play, such as roleplaying with others, playing games with rules, and working with others to accomplish goals. Children who experience consistency in their program demonstrate less aggressive behaviors, because of their ability to interact with others and use their language to resolve conflicts. For young children, the knowledge that teachers, other children, and daily routines will be consistent over time fosters confidence and competency in social settings.

Cognitive Development

Consistency in the preschool program can significantly impact a child’s cognitive development. High-quality programs that provide developmentally appropriate curricula enable children to develop specific cognitive skills at the appropriate age. Developmentally appropriate curricula help children develop cognitive skills through a developmental continuum, meaning the curricula builds on children’s existing skills and knowledge to help them acquire new skills and knowledge. In addition, curriculum programs that incorporate developmental objectives ensure children follow a scope and sequence of age-appropriate developmental milestones throughout their time in the program.

Language Development

Language development occurs at a rapid pace in children between the ages of one and five years old. Children who are secure in their environment and with the people around them are more likely to engage in frequent, age-appropriate conversations. These daily interactions lead to more advanced language skills by promoting vocabulary development and conversational skills. Through activities such as daily group discussions, fingerplays, songs, and read-alouds, children develop the fundamental language skills they will continue to build on throughout their lifetimes.

Meg is an editor in our Education Department. She’s been writing and editing for over 20 years, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Early Childhood Education.

Keywords: curriculum, early childhood education, Grove School

What is “school readiness”?

Megan Riede | October 26, 2009 | Comment

At The Grove School, our number one commitment is to prepare your child for future academic success through a hands-on, integrated curriculum and learning community. School readiness is at the center of that environment. But what does “school readiness” really mean?

Generally, it’s a term that refers to a set of skills and abilities a child should possess before entering kindergarten.

But more specifically, I like this definition from scientists and early education professors K. Maxwell and R.M. Clifford in their Research in Review: School Readiness Assessment–

“School readiness involves more than just children. In the broadest sense, it’s about children, families, early environments, schools, and communities. Children are not innately ready or not ready for school. Their skills and development are strongly influenced by their families and through their interactions with other people and environments before coming to school. “

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) also has an excellent position paper that details important considerations when preparing children for school and preparing schools for children. Three important points covered in the statement include:

1. Giving children deserve access to opportunities that promote school success.
2. Recognizing and supporting children’s individual differences.
3. The importance of establishing reasonable and appropriate expectations for what children should be able to do when they enter school.

Additional highlights from the NAEYC School Readiness position paper follow (see the links below for PDFs of both the summary and full position papers):

Readiness is more than basic knowledge of language and math, important as these are. Readiness expectations should include all areas: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional competence as well as positive attitudes toward learning.

Young children develop in different ways and at different rates. Readiness does not happen at the same time or in the same way for all children. For example, one child may develop language skills rapidly while being slower to gain social competence. Definitions of readiness must consider these variations.

A school is ready if the curriculum in kindergarten and the early grades builds on prior learning. In early childhood and beyond, skills are most effectively learned and practiced when embedded in meaningful experiences. Even for children who enter school without having mastered specific skills, curriculum should include child-initiated as well as teacher-supported activities, and should emphasize hands-on, integrated learning.

The school must take into account individual differences in language, culture, and prior experience. Children whose experiences differ from those of the school they enter may be viewed as less ready. Effective kindergarten-primary programs meet children where they are and take extra care to help make meaningful connections with each child’s home, culture, and community.

Teachers must know how to teach young children and have the resources to do so. Ready schools need kindergarten and primary grade teachers who have professional preparation in child development and early education. Class sizes are small enough to meet children’s individual learning needs. Classroom equipment and materials support children’s active, thoughtful engagement with learning.

Our curriculum and school community address these issues head on. From the types of activities and structure of our school day to the credentials of our teachers and how we cultivate community, we’ve thought deeply about to how to best prepare each child for a successful academic future.

Resources for additional information about school readiness:
NAEYC Where We Stand Summary
Complete Position Statement

Keywords: curriculum, early childhood education, Grove School, NAEYC, position statements

The research behind our curriculum

Megan Riede | October 26, 2009 | Comment

When developing The Grove School curriculum, we considered the opinions and research of multiple foundational groups within the early childhood industry. Below are examples of such groups:

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE)
International Reading Association (IRA)
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

These groups have developed position statements related to important early childhood education practice, policy, and professional development. If you have an interest in reading more about the thinking that informs our curriculum, I encourage you to download these PDFs.

NAEYC position statements

Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Technology and Young Children (Ages 3-8)
Learning to Read and Write (with the IRA)
A Summary of References to Play (in all position papers)
Early Childhood Mathematics (with the NCTM)
School Readiness

Joint position statements by NAEYC and NAECS/SDE

Early Learning Standards
Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation

Other helpful articles

Reading Aloud with Children
The Essentials of Early Literary Instruction
Mathematics in the Preschool

Keywords: curriculum, Grove School, IRA, NAECS/SDE, NAEYC, NCTM, position statements

Global education and why it matters

Saras Ramamoorthy | October 26, 2009 | Comment

Global education is a term used a lot these days. You may have heard it on the news or read about it in newspapers or magazines. Global education is often used in connection with early childhood curriculum programs. Let’s take a look at what global education means and why it is important for young children.

Before discussing what global education is, it may be helpful to know what global education is not. Global education is not a collection of one-time activities that promote a “tourist approach” to learning about different communities of the world. Nor is it taught in connection with seasons and holidays as a means of comparing and contrasting cultures. Global education is, however, about promoting a perception of the world in terms of “unity within diversity,” helping children to recognize what is similar and unique among cultures. For example, children learn that although individuals and groups of people may have different views of life, they also have common needs and wants. Additionally, global education seeks to instill in children a sense of belonging to a larger world community, which fosters the idea that world systems are interconnected and interdependent. Finally, global education gives children glimpses of the world through the eyes of others, thereby promoting acceptance and tolerance.

We live in a world that grows smaller every day. Advances in technology have shortened the distance between countries and continents. It is easier than ever before to travel to faraway places. The ability to communicate with people on the other side of the globe requires little more than a few clicks on a keyboard, and news that occurs thousands of miles away is received within minutes after it occurs. As we continue to connect with people around the world in these and other ways, we come to see how much our future depends on our ability to cultivate global relationships.

Of course, children’s lives are also affected by new technology and the shrinking global landscape. For example, most school-age children are very comfortable communicating with family and friends through e-mails and text messaging. Children see and hear local, national, and international news on the TV or Internet every day. At school, children interact and play with peers who may speak other languages, celebrate different traditions, and live different lifestyles. It is important that we also help children navigate this exciting and ever-changing landscape.

Teaching Global Education to Children

Among the principles of global education is the notion that global education is basic education, and that it can be interwoven among other disciplines, such as reading and writing, math, and music. For this and other reasons, global education can be seen as lifelong learning—that is, it is not something that can be adequately addressed in a short amount of time. Thus, it is never too early to begin teaching global education to children. As a parent, there are many ways to incorporate global education into your child’s learning. Here are a few.

• Talk with your child about how different people live, eat, play, and work around the world. Seek out high-quality books from your local library or bookstore, such as Children Just Like Me by Unicef. Ask your child questions about the books you read together, encouraging him or her to find the similarities and differences among people around the world.
• Use technology appropriately. The Internet can be a great source of child-appropriate websites about different cultures and places of the world. Be sure to research all websites beforehand to ensure they are appropriate for your child.
• Play games with and expose your child to toys, puzzles, and games from other countries. Since all children play with games and toys, they are a wonderful and fun way for children to learn more about other cultures.
• Attend cultural events in your area to show your child that there are many ways of living, eating, and celebrating. Visit local cultural centers to explore how different people and cultures are the same and different.
• Listen to music CDs from other countries with your child. Combining music with learning is one of the best ways for young children to learn. Try to find translations of the lyrics to help your child learn new words too.
• Encourage your child to learn a new language. Better yet, learn a new language together!
• Finally, always talk respectfully and openly about similarities and differences among people. For example, try to discover the names of some of the unique clothing people in other countries wear, rather than call them “special outfits” or “costumes.”

By engaging in these and other activities regularly, your child will be well on his or her way to becoming a global citizen.

Saras is a program development specialist in our Education and Training Department and the mother of an infant. She has two Master’s degrees, one in Child Development and Family Studies and the other in Special Education, develops program materials, and conducts curriculum research for our schools.

Keywords: global education, Grove School

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