EcoCare Family Childcare & Preschool Program Proposal

Overview and Vision

EcoCare Family Childcare & Preschool Center
Location: Anywhere, America
Hours: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Ages Served: Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers, ages 2 to 6

EcoCare is a complete family-supportive facility designed to build learning and resiliency into the children and parents it serves. Children who are resilient develop self-control and self-regulation, which allows them to acquire and apply learning skills as they transition into a formal classroom setting. We believe this approach will enable children to feel comfortable in their natural explorations while also equipping them to handle the frustrations that come with absorbing new ideas, knowledge, and learning in general. Our unique approach achieves its appeal by using recognized learning methods and integrating them into a safe setting where environmental awareness and respect always point toward a better future for all.

EcoCare Vision Statement: Encouraging resiliency in children is at least part of the goal of nearly every childcare or early learning program. Doing so is widely thought to best prepare children for later life and school success, particularly during a period when there is great emphasis on students meeting established benchmarks of learning achievement.

Mission Statement and Educational Philosophy

EcoCare, a new type of mixed family care and preschool setting, proposes to draw more from children's and families' first learning experiences. We believe it is possible to apply accepted standards of care and learning while linking achievement to a wide range of local, community, and experiential healthy and sustainable settings. Children and families will find themselves fully immersed in a green world of delightful learning opportunities that promote self-control and understanding, and that nurture the joy of being part of the world around them (Pramling Samuelson, 2008).

Mission Statement: EcoCare is fully committed to ensuring that our children and families feel comfortable with the care and attention they receive. To that end, our mission is to:

Provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate childcare in a compassionate, supportive, and encouraging environment.

Create a nonjudgmental environment for children, their families, and our employees and support staff so that communication can flow freely.

Serve as a resource to families, employees, and the community on issues related to parenting, learning, and the green world around us.

Provide a play-based, resiliency curriculum in which children are safe to express themselves, explore their environment, and experiment as they progress toward formal educational readiness.

Educational & Development Philosophy: Our foundational child development theory parallels contemporary thinking about sustainability. We believe that the best methods seek not merely to include a single approach but to draw together, in a systematic way, the best that humanity, nature, and socialization have to offer — a hybrid approach that blends the values of childhood learning with respect for nature. Accordingly, EcoCare draws from the philosophies of both Kohlberg and Piaget (Oswalt, n.d.).

Kohlberg emphasizes the concept of moral development. From the earliest ages — but primarily from the toddler years onward — children begin to make concrete determinations about right and wrong. He argues that they move progressively from "preconventional" understandings, which arise from the direct consequences of one's actions, to conventional and then postconventional appreciation and behavior. Conventional growth centers on following rules, at least partly because doing so protects one from harm. Only in the postconventional stages do ideas of right and wrong become grounded in specific value systems.

Curriculum Model

Even the most resilient children begin by learning through direct, hands-on experience. We recognize this in our youngest children and begin by helping them associate positive rewards with actions that benefit both themselves and the natural world around them. We believe this will enable them to solidify their values into consistent practices later, when they develop a deeper understanding of their environment. Their early sustainable thoughts and actions will naturally be simple, but we expect those early habits to grow as children engage in gardening, play in natural settings, visit places where greenery and the planet are celebrated, and develop genuine values that respect the resources around them.

As strong a foundation as this provides, it would not be complete without also incorporating Piaget's four operational stages. Our youngest children are offered rich sensorimotor experiences from the very beginning — quality, respectful activities to which they can later attach moral values. While we recognize that our children are only up to six years of age, we believe we are giving them a solid foundation as they grow into more advanced logic, abstract thinking, and the kind of symbolic reasoning that will enable them to value what they have learned here. By surrounding them early with the right sensory experiences and stimuli, we aim to prepare them for these developmental advancements as they move to public or private schools where formal learning begins.

The curriculum will differ for infants and toddlers compared to those who participate in preschool activities. The following are summaries of the key elements of programming for infants and toddlers, followed by a sample schedule for the early learning needs of older children, approximately four years of age.

Each child will follow their own schedule, and staff will accommodate individual needs. There will be substantial dialogue and interaction centered on nurturing and comforting children — including feeding, diapering, reading, and singing songs — as well as listening to the children and allowing them to experience the foundational green and environmental toys that will surround them.

A significant portion of the morning will focus on greeting the children, conducting basic health checks, and helping children feel comfortable as parents transition away. Breakfast and bathroom routines will follow. Indoor and outdoor self-selected activities and group snacks will constitute the major part of the morning. Within this framework, children will be given choices among gardening, building, and Earth-friendly gaming experiences that encourage teamwork and cooperation. Napping and a period of guided skills learning will take place in the afternoon as children prepare for departure.

6:30–7:30   Greet Children & Breakfast
7:30–8:00   Inside Free Play
8:00–9:00   Outside Play
9:00–9:15   Welcome Circle (sing, read, review plans)
9:15–9:30   Morning Snack
9:30–10:15   Inside Play, Structured Activities
10:15–10:30   Circle to Review Activities
10:30–11:00   Special Project
11:00–12:00   Outside Fun
12:00–12:30   Lunch
12:30–2:30   Nap/Rest
2:00–3:00   Inside Play
3:00–3:15   Snack
3:15–4:15   Outside Play
4:15–4:30   Circle Talking
4:30–5:30   Inside Activities
5:30–6:30   Outside Fun

As discussed in the philosophy section, we focus heavily on sensorimotor expectations and individualized needs. As children grow older, they become increasingly involved in formal group structures, such as Circle Reviews. All children are routinely surrounded by play materials that are sustainable, green, and connected to their natural origins. Staff are trained to explore these materials with children, and the facility itself is designed to be as sustainable as possible.