A Place to Grow

My philosophy for A Place to Grow is that all children will become independent, self-confident and curious learners that will be able to work with others. I believe and support the idea that this can all be done through providing the “tools” needed for purposeful and productive play as well as maintaining a familiar and comfortable routine to the individual needs of the children. I’m a firm believer that it’s very important that we develop a sense of continuity between your home and mine. I believe that the “family” structure is the most important to children and I want to partner up with families to assure the child can grow and benefit from the partnership. Children learn so much from watching so seeing adults in a relationship/partnership that is supportive, respectful, nurturing and communicative they too will learn how to be with others. I want these skills to be modeled to your children through our partnership.
I will provide a structured yet very creative curriculum focused on the children’s individual interests, likes, desires, and needs. I will be using Montana Early Learning Guidelines to cover all learning domains. These areas are: Creative Arts, Language and Literacy, Mathematics and Numeracy, Physical Development and Health, Science, Social-Emotional Development, and Social Studies. “Montana Early Learning Guidelines are written with the concept of Developmentally Appropriate Practice as its base. Developmentally Appropriate Practice results from the process of adults making decisions about the well-being and education of children based on at least three important kinds of information or knowledge: what is known about the child development and learning; what is known about the strengths, interests, and needs of each child; and knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which children live to ensure that learning experiences are meaningful, relevant, and respected.” I have many copies of these guidelines and if you are interested let me know and I will share them with you and we can look at them together as well. I also will provide a balance of teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities throughout your child’s day. Your child will be invited to join in and help with many day to day routines that will help them develop a positive self-image, sense of independence, and self-discipline.
Throughout the days, weeks, months and years with your children I will be observing and documenting many areas of their development. Every 6 months I will be sending home a formal assessment on your child’s development with using Highscope as my assessment tool.
Qualifications
• Graduated High School in 1998
• Received my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education May 2013 from Flathead Valley Community College
• I am a current Level 5 on the Practitioners Registry with over 500 hours of training. Every year I am required a minimum of 20 hours of training.
• I received my Childcare Specialist Certificate through the Montana Apprenticeship Program which requires 4,000 hours OTJ training as well as college course work and monthly goals.
• In 2004 I received my Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Management from Oregon Coast Culinary Institute. This strong passion and love that I have for food will defiantly be explored while planning menus as well as having your children help with the preparation of the meals we serve.
• I am CPR and First Aid Certified
• I am a member of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAECY)
• Mother to my own children
• I have a clear background check
• I have a clear Child Protective Service Check
• I carry Liability and Fire Insurance on my property.