What can a Rose
Garden parent do to support your child?
Once
you have chosen the Rose Garden Early Childhood Center as the place for your
child to learn and grow, a big decision has been made. The next question is: how can I support my
child’s learning and development at the Rose Garden? You have probably heard it said in regards to
child rearing that “it takes a village”, but I think there is more to this
adage. That is, “it takes a village that is in agreement about how to support
child development”.
The
Rose Garden is a representative LifeWays site, so we are guided by the LifeWays
principles in our practices. These are the LifeWays principles:
1. Young
children thrive in the presence of parents and other devoted caregivers who
enjoy life and caring for children. They learn primarily through
imitation/empathy and therefore need to be cared for by people with integrity
and warmth who are worthy of being imitated. This is the foundation for
learning and healthy development.
2. Having
consistent caregivers, especially from birth to three years old and,
preferably, up to primary school age, is essential for establishing a sense of
trust and well-being.
3. Children
need relationship with people of all ages. Infants and toddlers thrive in
family-style blended-age care, while older children see nurturing modeled by
the adults and experience their own place in the continuum of growing up.
Children of all ages can both give and receive special blessing when in the
company of elders and youth who enjoy children.
4. Each
person is uniquely valuable, gifted with purpose and worthy of respect
throughout all phases of his or her life’s journey.
5. Human
relationship and activity are the essential tools for teaching the young child
all foundational skills for life. Infants and toddlers develop most
healthily when allowed to have freedom of movement in a safe
environment. For three- to six-year-olds, creative play, not technology
or early academics, forms the best foundation for school work and for life-long
learning.
6. In
infancy and early childhood, daily life experience is the “curriculum.”
The child’s relationships to the caregivers and to the environment are the two
most important aspects through which the child can experience healthy life
rhythms/routines. These include the “nurturing arts” of rest and play,
regular meal times, exploring nature, practical/domestic activities, social
creativity, music and simple artistic activities.
7. Young
children thrive in a home or home-like environment that offers beauty, comfort
and security, and connection to the living world of nature. Healthy sense
development is fostered when most of their clothing and playthings are of
non-synthetic materials and their toys allow for open-ended, imaginative play.
8. Childhood
is a valid and authentic time unto itself and not just a preparation for
schooling. Skipping or hurrying developmental phases can undermine
a child’s healthy and balanced development.
9. Parents
of young children need and deserve support in their path of parenting—from
professionals, family, and one another. They thrive in a setting where they are
loved, respected and helped to feel love and understanding for their children.
10. Caregivers
also have an intrinsic purpose and need to be recognized and appropriately
compensated for the value of their work. They need an environment where they
can create an atmosphere of “home,” build true relationship to the children,
and feel autonomous and appreciated.
Knowing our guiding principles, you might ask what you can do to
assist your child in being prepared and ready to reap the benefits of our
program. Although child rearing
practices have changed, children have not. What we once intuitively knew and
passed along from generation to generation, has been questioned by our culture
and then studied and subsequently scientifically proven to be true. These
suggestions appear simple yet their impact on a child’s well- being is
profound.
These are what you can provide to support your child at the Rose
Garden:
Sufficient sleep:
According to sleep experts, toddlers need eleven to fourteen hours of sleep a
night and preschoolers need ten to thirteen hours of sleep a night.
Nutrition:
Children need to eat every few hours in order to maintain their active
lifestyles. At the Rose Garden, they eat a morning snack around 9:30 or 10:00
a.m., lunch around noon and then an afternoon snack after lunch around 3:30
p.m.. It’s best if they have something in their stomachs when they arrive in
the morning.
Rhythms: Children
live in the moment and do not know what day or time it is, so they rely on the
adults to show them the way in regards to bedtime, mealtime and clothing
choices. If mornings at home are predictable, children will gain security in
the rhythms of the day and learn them quickly. Then when they arrive at the
Rose Garden, they will begin the day with a strong, secure foundation.
Proper clothing: Children
not only do not know the weather forecast, but they are not adept at reading
their own thermostats. Asking a child if she is cold, is likely to produce an
affirmative answer so she does not have to stop playing to put on a jacket
(that is even a child whose lips are blue from the cold), so it is up to the
adults to determine weather-appropriate clothing to protect your child from the
elements.
Many thanks for your support!
