The All Kids Academy Philosophy
The All Kids Academy Philosophy is based on our four points of development: Character, Cognitive Development, Creativity, Community.
These four "C's" represent out early childhood educational values.
Character
The American Dictionary of the English Language defines character as
"to cut, engrave", "the stable and distinctive qualities built into a child's life that determines their response regardless of circumstances."
Though each family is as unique as a fingerprint, we believe there are important character traits most people with high regard such as generosity, enthusiasm,
self-control, forgiveness, attentiveness, truthfulness, gratefulness, responsibility, initiative, resourcefulness, discretion, creativity, determination, perseverance and patience.
We believe as parents and educators, it is our responsibility to nurture these ideals in the hearts and minds of children. We accomplish this through several methods. American writer James Baldwin once said, "Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." Behavior modeling is imperative to help children develop character. We also present activities, stories and circle time topics where issues of character are discussed in an age appropriate manner. As educators, we seek opportunities to explain or show examples of how to handle a situation with character. Children are taught to discuss their differences, control their bodies, be kind to one another, look for ways to be helpful, etc...
We believe children can learn how to respect themselves, one another and their environment. They carefully observe and imitate everything we, as role models, say and do. When we give children the same respect we desire, we are modeling this important character trait. Most importantly we provide a loving place for children to experiment with these concepts.
Cognitive Development
We believe children learn through a variety of activities. Our program is based on the premise that children learn about the world around them from active involvement with other children, adults and materials. Learning takes place as children touch, manipulate and experiment with things and interact with people. Indoor and outdoor facilities at All Kids Academy are set up to provide these diverse learning opportunities.
We create a loving atmosphere with child-oriented, developmentally appropriate curriculum where children learn through exploration and interaction with their environment and others. We balance this approach with teacher guided and small group learning times. Children have the opportunity to become independent problem solvers and learn to express their ideas and feelings.
Our aim is to maximize individual development and promote developmentally appropriate practices. How children learn is as important as what they learn:
Process and content go hand in hand. Many times, however, it is the focus on learning processes that will lead to greater intellectual content. As a result, days at
All Kids Academy are filled with planned and spontaneous moments of learning. There's time for active outdoor play, imaginative games, independent discovery and group time experiences.
We believe skills such as phonemic awareness, letter recognition, literacy,
scientific problem solving, quantitative concepts, small/large motor coordination,
cultural awareness, creativity and social / self awareness can be taught through the utilization of learning centers presented throughout the indoor and outdoor classrooms. Our trained child development specialists present developmentally appropriate activities in various learning centers and small groups. We believe this approach will prepare support your child for the primary school experience and beyond.
Creativity
We believe children are inspired and excited by opportunities of creative expression. In every situation, we look for creative experiences the children can participate in. Creativity is not just found in art activities, but in nearly every activity. Children are asked to "think of a new way", etc...This causes them to rely on their own resourceful thinking to solve everyday problems and develops critical thinking skills. Using various art forms to inspire creativity is also important. Children will be exposed to art using different materials in diverse settings.
Community
We believe that in our ever changing society, it is important to teach children to find connections to others and to learn how to be members of many social groups -
family groups, peer groups, community groups and a world group. We teach children to care for as well as receive care from others. We help them learn how to be an active participant in their community and foster their desire to do so.
We believe children should see a connection between home, school and the world around them. We believe a partnership with parents and families of our children give them a strong support system. We encourage parents to get to know each other by hosting events at All Kids Academy for them throughout the year.
It is important for children to understand that there are many people around them that care for them and work every day to help them and others in their community. We invite community helpers such as dentists, firefighters, police officers, etc...,
to visit the children and discuss issues like safety, strangers and hygiene.
Above all, we believe All Kids Academy is a fun, loving, learning atmosphere that give families the ultimate preschool and school age experience!!
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All Kids Academy
1910 Livingston Road, Lutz, FL 33559
(813) 948-0100
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
allkidsacademylutz@verizon.net
Copyright 2005 All Kids Academy. All rights reserved.
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