Lake Center Christian School

Preschool Goals and Philosophy

The foundations of all future learning are laid in the early years of a child’s life. We believe that an early learning program should be based on respect, responsibility, and community to build that strong foundation.

Parents are a child’s first teachers, and form the primary relationship in his or her life.  Our goal is to work in partnership with parents in the nurture and training of their children.

Each child is designed by God to be a unique individual created in His likeness.  Each child develops at his or her own rate, following a predictable pattern.  Placing developmental milestones on a rigid timetable is unfair and unproductive.  We strive to provide a developmentally appropriate early learning program that will have an emphasis on the process of learning while helping the child enjoy successful experiences.  Since children learn best by doing, these experiences will include exploration, play, and discovery in a supportive environment based on the needs and interests of the child and facilitated by a caring, professional teacher. The teacher’s role is to be a guide rather than a dispenser of information.

To fully participate in the learning process, children must feel safe, comfortable and valued.  Our program is designed to provide for those needs in a prepared environment that will cultivate the child’s physical, emotional, social, cognitive, creative, and spiritual growth.   A clean, ordered, attractive, and positive environment where the child is free to make choices, play, and explore is the best way to encourage this growth.  The use of positive guidance techniques, where consistent, age appropriate limits are in place, will help the child function independently in his world.  Allowing the child to experience natural, logical consequences to his or her choices is part of this positive guidance. When a child is able to function independently, he or she develops a sense of confidence, competence and responsibility.

Children must actively participate in their learning to internalize it; that is to make it meaningful for them.  To do this, children need actual experiences that appeal to all five of their senses, and that they can choose and manage independently.  Learning is also relational, so the building of meaningful connections among the children and also with the teacher is another important goal of our program.  The sharing of friendships, ideas, information and talent makes the learning process deeper and richer.

All children are welcome in our program and there will be no discrimination based on gender or race. Children with special needs and abilities are also welcome in this program, and are considered for inclusion  individually  based on the nature of the need and the teacher’s ability to meet that need.