Play Is The Work Of The Child
Let's Get To Work.
Sending your child off to school or daycare can be tough emotionally, for both you and your little. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to watch them meet new friends, make discoveries, and see how they interact with others outside your home? We think so. Our ideal early learning environment is one we are a part of. One where kiddos explore and experience, and then create and synthesize. We would love to see and be a part of their daily learning, while at the same time giving them space to become their unique selves and make discoveries on their own. It’s basic ‘It Takes a Village’ philosophy. We want our children to learn from others (to have outside adult role models), but we’re not ready to let them go just yet.
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We are planning on adding a Little Learners program at The Little Village beginning as soon as this winter. Our program(s) will consist of play-based learning activities with a focus on inquiry, discovery, creative thinking, and art. Our program will be an imaginative learning environment, inspired by the Reggio Emilia and Waldorf Curriculums, where children help direct their learning.
Little Learners Program
An early learning program would be for parents who are interested in being a part of their child's learning process. Parents would come to class with their child and help guide them through instructor-led activities. Parents would be able to step away, but would remain on property - whether this be on the patio in the summer or up front in the cafe area relaxing, getting other work accomplished, or spending quality time with a younger child. Your child would learn from experienced educators, artists, and YOU!
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Parents would be able to observe their child as they make friends and new discoveries, and step back to see how they react to different learning processes and instructions. Parents with multiple kiddos would have the option to bring younger siblings for a small fee each class period. This would create a secondary ‘pod’ of parents and younger children.
Preschool
A formal preschool option would contain the same learning activities and philosophies as above, but would be a state-licensed formal preschool program where parents drop their children off for classes.
Why an Early Learning Program?
We are parents of three children who are spending/spent their pre-k years at home with us. We wanted to be as much a part of their early childhood as possible (life is short, afterall). As you may know, when our first daughter was born, we quit our corporate jobs to do consulting work so we could both be home with her (we switched off work/kiddo watch days). We wanted to be a part of her early development. Two more kids later, and we know our younger ones haven’t had the same experience as our first - there is simply less time to devote to each child individually. Have you tried to do a project or learning activity with a 1, 2 and 4-year-old before? Throw potty training into the mix, and you have yourself a fun-filled day.
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In our perfect world, there is a place where our children are able to grow with friends their own age and discover the world around them through play. If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you may remember the quote ‘play is the work of the child’ as a mural on our retail brick wall (it’s coming…someday). Early learning and enrichment have been in our plan for The Little Village since the beginning. You may have seen our Little Learners Corner mentioned on our visit page over the past few months as coming soon. We will be creating themed learning sets parents can check out while in our space or take them home and rotate them when their kiddo is done with that particular subject. These learning box rentals would also be available at no cost for enrolled Little Learners Program participants.