A Virtual Tour of Cathy's Kids
 

-Read an article "The Power of Play"
 

Math readiness page
 

Kindergarten readiness page

MY BACKGROUND IN CHILDCARE AND CHILD INVOLVEMENT:

Cathy's Philosophy of Education

           I believe children are inherently good.  There aren’t bad children; only inappropriate behaviors.  Childhood should be a happy, stress-free time:  a time when children can experience physical and emotional security, a time for play, and a time for learning through exploration and developmentally-appropriate activities.  Self-esteem, a positive attitude toward life, and cooperative, pro-social behavior are important in a child’s life and as educators we need to foster positive growth in all these areas.

           I believe a good early childhood facility should provide for all of a child’s needs:  social, emotional, cognitive, and physical.  The environment should be safe to prevent and reduce injuries.  Children should be supervised at all times and all supervisors should be aware of emergency procedures and be trained in first aid.  The facility should promote good health and nutrition and be clean so as not to contribute to spreading illness.  The room arrangement, materials, and schedule should provide an interesting, secure, and enjoyable environment that encourages curiosity, play, exploration, and learning.  All materials should be well-organized.  Program activities should be adaptable to meet the needs of every child.  Positive guidance techniques should be adhered to and related to each child’s personality and developmental level.  Rules should be easily-understood and consistently enforced (be kind, be safe, be neat).  

          It is very important that preschool children are exposed to a variety of learning experiences using an anti-bias curriculum.  The different interest areas (art, blocks, dramatic play, table toys, library, music, cooking, computers, sand/water, science, and outdoor play) expose children to a variety of important skills.  Using multi-sensory learning is the most effective way to teach young children.  Teachers should provide enriching, creative, hands-on learning experiences in the following categories:

 ·        PHYSICAL  gross and fine motor skills, multi-sensory learning

·        SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL  self-esteem, independence, trust in adults, respecting other’s rights, working and learning cooperatively, problem-solving with peers

·        EMERGENT SCIENCE AND MATH SKILLS  observation skills, problem-solving, sequencing, sorting and classifying, seriation, one-to-one matching, recognizing patterns, becoming aware of cause and effect relationships

·        EMERGENT READING AND WRITING SKILLS  love of books, listening skills, verbal skills, making increasingly representational drawings, imitating recognizable letters and numbers, recognizing written names, labeling pictures

 A key to a child’s ability to function in the world of formal language is his/her ability to deal with the world’s language system--particularly the ability to read and communicate.  It has been proven that the majority of an individual’s intelligence is acquired by the time the child is nine years old;  therefore an early childhood program should foster language skills.  A child’s creativity and individual expression should be encouraged daily!

           When a program neglects or overlooks productive relationships with families, the children will suffer.  Parents should be encouraged to be involved in the program, be kept up-to-date on the progress the child is making, and be helped to understand why the center uses the program it does.  The center should provide various opportunities to appreciate children’s families and their cultures.  Parents are a child’s first teacher, and parents should be recognized for their contributions.

           Most of all, I want to  help make childhood a happy, satisfying time in a child’s life.  Happy children grow up to be secure, successful, self-assured adults.  A child’s work should be play.

Early Childhood Project  Website http://www.montana.edu/wwwecp/index.htm