Alpha School is a child-oriented school. We believe that children learn through play, first-hand experiences, and through the use of a variety of materials. The first-hand experiences will be in the areas of art, music, science, human relationships, etc. Each child is free to choose what he wants to do, but may not abuse another child in that pursuit. Each child has “freedom with responsibility,” and with this freedom he or she can learn and be happy.
They will learn by doing.
We seek to satisfy and develop the emotional, physical, intellectual, social, and creative needs of each child through our love and supportive behavior. We encourage children to think and act independently and to make his or her own decisions. We believe our environment allows each child the freedom to grow and expand fully.
Alpha Tots and Alpha Babies is a child-oriented program, too. During the past 30 years, careful observation of infants and toddlers around the world has yielded an ever-increasing awareness of the importance of early development. Every day, it seems, we learn more about the capacities of newborns, the differences among very young children, the influences of family and community culture on early development and the ability of infants and toddlers to cope with developmental challenges. We are also learning that group care of infants and toddlers presents special challenges and opportunities for promoting healthy development and supporting families.
Perhaps most important, we have learned to appreciate the role of relationships in every aspect of early development. Infants and toddlers develop expectations about people’s behavior and about themselves based on how parents and others treat them. Through daily interactions with responsive, affectionate adults, babies experience their first positive love relationship. Trust and emotional security develop when infants learn that their needs will be met predictably and consistently. Self-confidence develops as babies and toddlers learn to communicate their needs and master challenges in their world.
Although there are many ways to define and describe “ages and stages” within the rapid course of development in the child’s first three years, we will describe our classrooms in the following way:
Center Time: Free play inside the classrooms.
Snack Center: Children who want snack wash their hands & join snack.
Cleanup Time: Mini-group time, sound board, story time, music and song.
Movement Time: Dance, balance, jumping, and lots of creative movement.
Outside Time: In our fully fenced play areas (Capacity 111 children).
Schedule will vary according to the daily activities. Each week’s activities for our two’s stem from a letter sound for that week. (Example: Foam art, farm visit, and learning about frogs during F week). A “sound board” and table has objects or pictures, which begin with the sound of the week. The children “do” the soundboard, meaning they name each object, during free play and also group time. Also, show and tell activities will revolve around the sound of the week. Around holidays, we try to incorporate activities appropriate to the holiday.
In our infant and toddler classrooms, curriculum begins with knowing the child- how they grow and develop. The more we know, the more effectively we can meet their needs. Activities are part of everything we do with infants and toddlers, and like everything we do, activities are opportunities to build trust and strengthen our relationship with each child.
Our Two’s will visit the main playground daily. Our toddlers and infants will have a special playground beside Alpha Tots and Alpha Babies. Our full-day younger toddlers and our two’s will enjoy lunch together and a nap in the afternoon.