WE PLAY TO LEARN! at Creative Journeys Child Care Learning Center (CJLC). Constructive play stimulates the imagination - encouraging creative problem solving and providing opportunities for accomplishments that help children develop confidence, self-esteem, a sense of their own strengths and weaknesses, and a positive attitude toward learning.  Through CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY, children expand their intelligence - their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Play is a testing ground for language and reasoning skills - a laboratory for learning to connect to challenges children face in school, such as literacy, math, and science concepts. We support learning in a constructive play-based and developmentally-appropriate environment that incorporates a variety of activities and multicultural aspects in a thematic style.

From birth to adolescence, constructive play is vital to most aspects of children's intellectual, emotional, social, language, and physical development. Consequently, play prepares children for academic learning - as they begin their school years and at each step along the way. Ultimately, play prepares children for rewarding adult lives.

INFANT CARE NURSERY

The Infant Care Nursery Program at CJLC is designed to provide each child with a feeling of warmth, confidence, and security.  The nurturing interaction between caregivers and children brings encouragement for early motor skill development and lots of love. At Creative Journeys, your child will have experienced a warmth that is essential to their growth and development.

Areas of Development:

• Large muscle control - rolling, crawling, reaching, pulling
• Small muscle control - grasping, holding, stacking, manipulating
• Auditory/Visual - follows objects with eyes, turns head toward sounds
• Verbal Development - babbling,imitation,laughing,storytime,singing,turn-taking games
• Encouragement of natural curiosity
• Development of self esteem through love and nurturing

TODDLERS
 
The Young Toddler Program at Creative Journeys Learning Center is based on exploration and discovery. Young toddlers love to explore their environment by hands on experiences. Our classroom and learning curriculum is geared towards a child's natural curiosity and our staff set up situations where learning occurs naturally. We encourage a child’s independence and personal values of sharing, caring, and respect for self and others. The Toddler Program embraces a sense of SELF so that each child gains confidence in their ability redirect themselves in situations. Often we have two of every toy so that a child may be redirected to play in another situation without having to experience the frustration that occurs from always hearing NO!

Young children are so eager to learn! One week we may be learning about apples and the color red. What better way to discover apples than by finger painting with applesauce, getting to eat red Jell-O and squish it between our fingers, dance with red ribbons and taste test all kinds of apples! Young children are so eager to learn! Through a caring and nurturing environment your child can be encouraged to reach their full potential.

Areas of Development:

• Enhancing auditory and visual skills
• Creative play and development
• Development of fine and gross motor skills
• Encouragement of self-help skills
• Basic introduction to colors, numbers and shapes
• Daily activities
• Encourage growth of self-esteem through nurturing and compassion for others

PRESCHOOLERS

Young children have an innate desire to learn. Our Creative Curriculum prepares your child for a lifetime of learning by introducing children to learning centers that encompass a wide range of activities. Our preschool classroom further promotes quality learning and growth through increasingly complex activities and the introduction of longer-term projects. Children are introduced to math, language, reading, social and physical skills through creative and interactively fun activities. In addition, we continue to help children develop academic confidence and use their self-esteem and independence skills.

Milestones focused on in the Preschool experience:

• Patterning
• Sorting by shape, size and color
• Understanding cause and effect and beginning to problem solve
• Basic counting
• Making predictions based on simple information
• Recognizing own name and other letters in print
• Showing a genuine interest in reading books with adults
• Speaking in front of a small group
• Recalling events from an activity
• Creative Artwork becoming more refined, express ideas and act out their thoughts

Learning doesn’t end once the bell rings! CJLC has innovative before- and after-school programs to meet the growing educational needs and interests of school-age children. To make it easy for your family's schedule, we also offer transportation to and from neighborhood schools. Our school-age program also aligns with school calendars to provide a fun-filled educational break during holidays, teacher in-service days and other school breaks.

Our Philosophy

We believe in the following developmental principles:

• Each child's uniqueness is the result of interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Infant and child development involves interrelated physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes. Rates of development vary from one child to another, but the sequential progression of growth does not.
• We believe that it is our responsibility to provide responsive and understanding care, responsible guidance, modeling and generosity in our warmth of feeling.
• We believe that it is the job of adults to provide children with a developmentally appropriate environment with engaging learning experiences that are based on sound content knowledge.
• With these principles in mind, we believe that infants, toddlers, and young children are individuals in their own right and must receive the same respect and consideration afforded older children and adults.

Our Curriculum

Emergent curriculum comes from children and teachers working together, with the teachers being able to actively listen to the children's desires and then acting upon them. This approach also allows teachers to change and modify the curriculum easily in response to things that happen in the course of the day. An unexpected question can lead to an interesting discussion or an opportunity to have a parent share a special skill with the children. Our child-centered approach allows teachers to look carefully at children and create a flexible program that meets their needs.

Our Creative Curriculum connects learning with experience and prior learning. It includes all interests of children and responds to their interests rather than focusing on a narrow, individual, or calendar-driven topic. It is process-oriented rather than product-driven.

Planning the curriculum in each classroom will be based on:

• Knowledge of child development.
• The understanding of developmentally appropriate practices and following the guidelines of developmentally appropriate practices.
• Sensitivity to children's personal experiences and interests.
• Knowing that children learn through first-hand observation, play, and direct experience

The program is staffed with highly-qualified, experienced, and caring teachers.  Our professional and dedicated team nurtures and educates infants, preschool & school age children in a wide range of child care programs.

Passion and Commitment

Above all, our teacher value and respect children. Our teachers are passionate about your child's happiness and early childhood education. Our teachers are dedicated to developing your child's learning potential and are sensitive to your child's individual needs. In addition, our teachers:

• Are Credentialed by the Maryland State Department of Education
• Exceed continual professional training requirements
• Maintain Low Teacher to Student Ratios
• Partner  with Families

Our teachers and staff are passionate about forming a strong partnership with you to ensure the best possible experience for your child. Teachers provide daily communication with families and strive to understand your unique needs.

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