Philosophy / Policy

Program Philosophy

The Child Care Center offers a safe and nurturing environment where your child will have a positive social experience and age-appropriate learning experiences. We achieve this philosophy by keeping the following things in mind:

• Parent/Guardians are the single most important influence in a child's life. The greater a parent/guardian's communication with the teachers and involvement in the classroom, the greater will be the child's opportunity to learn and grow, both at home and in school.
• Only with a positive self-concept can a child develop to their full potential. All activities in our program encourage the development and maintenance of a positive self-concept and respect for the child's individuality, family identity and cultural/ethnic background.
• Children develop continuously through a series of fixed stages at their own individual rates. Children learn primarily through self-directed interaction with an environment rich in concrete sensory experiences. For this reason, we include in our program teacher-initiated (structured) activities, free play (child-initiated) time, large and small group periods, and time for small and large muscle movement.
• Learning to interact positively with peers and adults is an important accomplishment of the early years. Children at our center learn the social and emotional skills to live in harmony with each other.

Discipline Policy

At the North Seattle College Child Care Center, we have a non-punitive discipline policy. Physical punishment is not used. Our goal is to create an environment where the child is stimulated and involved in order to reduce the frustration that can occur in a group setting. Other techniques used are re-directing a child to another activity and modeling behavior that we would like the children to follow. We tell the children when we like the behavior (positive reinforcement) they are showing so that behavior is likely to occur more often.

We help each child develop self-control, rather than teacher- or parent/guardian-imposed control, and we help the child learn to express feelings verbally rather than striking out physically.

Discipline methods used with children are always discussed with the child's parent/guardian. In cases of reoccurring issues, the teachers may work with the parent/guardians over a period of time to discover the cause of the problem and an effective way to deal with it.

In the unusual case of a child's behavior requiring special consultation and there is lack of cooperation on the parent/guardian part, we reserve the right to dismiss the child from the Center.

Parent/Guardian Communication and Involvement

Parent/Guardian communication and participation are vital components of our program. Recognizing that parent/guardians may have different interests and time constraints, we provide a variety of ways for parent/guardians to be involved and informed about their children's experiences.

• Parent/Guardians are encouraged to visit the center any time during operating hours. The purpose of these visits may be to observe, assist in the classroom or during outdoor play, have lunch or share an activity with the children. The emotional needs of the child will be considered a priority and if necessary, parent/guardian can observe/assist and then take their child home afterwards.
• Parent/Guardian conferences are held each spring quarter and more often if there is a need. These conferences provide structured time for parent/guardians and teachers to share ideas, information, and observations about the children.
• There is a weekly "Activity Plan" posted near classroom doors which lists the theme and activities your child will be participating in.
• Children and their families are invited to attend our annual "Fall Potluck" (held fall quarter) and "Multi-Cultural Family Potluck" (held spring quarter). These are opportunities for you to get to know us better and vice versa.