Philosophy

At the Maple Street School, we believe children’s work is their play. Children construct their knowledge about the world through interaction with the people and materials in it. We value the development of a child’s mind, body and spirit and we respond to the individual needs of each child. We facilitate each child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development through child-initiated activities.

We are dedicated to stimulating the innate curiosity of each child and supporting emotional growth and expression. We believe in respecting individual differences in temperament, learning styles, creativity and personal needs. We encourage students to express feelings honestly and to deal respectfully with the feelings of others. We believe preschool is an extension of home, a place where each child is nurtured in a warm, caring atmosphere. Maple Street is a supportive environment where teachers help students feel safe to take risks that lead to true growth.

At Maple Street, we encourage students to explore the world around them based on their interests and development. We offer programs in art, music and dance to help children develop their language, intuition, concentration, reflection, reasoning and decision-making skills. Academic skills are presented when children are ready and are usually incorporated into ongoing studies or daily rituals and routines.

The Maple Street School ensures children have a rich, interactive, creative preschool experience, and that they are prepared for their journey into kindergarten and beyond.

The Creative Curriculum

As a curricular framework and for assessment, our program uses The Creative Curriculum, a research-based curriculum that utilizes interest areas to support children’s learning. The Creative Curriculum defines the role of the teacher in connecting content, teaching and learning for children. It is based on the latest research on how children learn best, employing the following child development theories:

• Abraham Maslow--Basic needs and learning
• Erik Erikson--The emotions and learning
• Jean Piaget--Logical thinking and reasoning
• Lev Vygotsky--Social interaction and learning
• Howard Gardner--Multiple intelligencesSara Smilansky--Play and learning

The Creative Curriculum meets all of the standards put forth for effective early childhood curricula by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE).