Washington State University Children’s Center practices a developmentally appropriate approach to early education as advocated by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Our curriculum emphasizes learning as an interactive process. The teachers prepare the environment for children to learn through active exploration with other children and materials. Our goal for early education is to ensure that children acquire the foundations for healthy development and learning.

Our program is both age-appropriate and individually appropriate. Age-appropriate activities are based on knowledge of typical physical, emotional, social and cognitive development within a particular age span. We also recognize that each child is unique with an individual pattern, timing of growth, personality and family background.

The full time professional staff in each class are responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating the program curriculum. Staff consider each individual child’s interests, needs and developmental levels when planning their programs. Child assessments are conducted three times a year and serve as the basis for goals for individual children as well as the basis for curriculum development during the year. The curriculum is based on developmental milestones for each age group and is changed based on individual children within a given group. The staff plan curriculum around assessment of the children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Curriculum is emergent rather than thematic. Curriculum is planned around a flexible daily schedule for daily activities. Both indoor and outdoor play are vital to the program. Group and individual activities are planned. The toddlers and young preschool children do not often function as a large group except at meal and snack times. When group time activities are being conducted such as music, stories, or circle time, children are encouraged to join in but may choose other activities if preferred. In preparation for school readiness, preschool children are taught to stay on task for group time or circle time activities. Quiet and active play is varied throughout the day. There are some teacher directed activities, but most of the activities are child directed. Teachers plan activities that are developmentally appropriate in each of the following areas: language arts, fine arts, music, movement and physical activity, math, science, social studies including multi-cultural activities, health, independence, self-help, social interactions with peers and adults, cooperative play, and cognitive development skills.

Our infants and toddlers learn by experiencing the environment through the senses. Because adults play a vital socialization role with infants and toddlers, we encourage development of warm, positive relationships to help the infants and toddlers develop a sense of trust and feeling of confidence. The infant teachers act according to each individual infant’s schedule, so infants eat, sleep, play, move around, and are held and changed as needed. Infants are never expected to function as a group.

Our curriculum for toddlers places more emphasis on language, activity and movement. The preschool curriculum for three, four, and five year olds includes more emphasis on written language, abstract concepts, small and large motor activities and field trips. School age children have considerable verbal ability, so they are involved in curriculum planning which includes games, problem-solving skills, reading and writing and joint cooperative play.

Each classroom teacher will provide parents with a copy of information about your child’s age group including a daily activity plan.

We hope that you will talk with your child’s full time teachers about your child’s needs and interests so that we can maximize the learning opportunities we provide.