STEM preschool Castro Valley S.T.E.M. Sprouts Preschool science technology engineering math reggio emilia emergent
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Philosophy
The beauty of young children is they have an innate, unbounded awe and curiosity about the world around them. They are natural explorers…little sponges for information and experiences, and they need many different ways to explore and express this knowledge. Young children are the definition of little Scientists. Through play, they use every opportunity to explore, ask questions, predict what might happen, experiment, and test their ideas.
At S.T.E.M. Sprouts, we honor and nurture this beautiful, natural ability. We follow your little scientist’s interests, letting them discover concepts and also guiding them through intentional curriculum to complete that scientific learning loop through documenting, reflecting, drawing conclusions and then asking more questions. They’ll have the opportunity to express their learning in many different ways – from weekly art projects, to building things, to discussions, to journaling. Along the way and over time, they will solidify the concepts and accurate, new vocabulary.
We use a constructivist approach to learning, whereby children learn through hands-on experience and discovery – assimilating ideas of what they already know into new information they actively build through their discoveries. Our curriculum is emergent (child originated and teacher framed), and we take advantage of teachable moments driven by the children’s interests, building upon their discoveries. Through this high-quality education and by addressing state standards, we will prepare children for kindergarten.
With a S.T.E.-A.-M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math -- and Art) focus, we are providing the children many age-appropriate experiences in each of these subject areas in order for them to create rich, deep reservoirs of mental images, representations and concepts. These reservoirs can then be tapped to help them recognize, analyze and make predictions about things in the future. The more rich and deep these experiences now, the more ready their mental capability for these subjects later.
Our culture/core values are: Exploration, creativity, scholarship, community, FUN
“Scientific thought, then, is not momentary; it is not a static instance; it is a process.”
-- Jean Piaget”
"Play is the highest form of research."
-- Albert Einstein
“The first five years have so much to do with how the next 80 turn out.”
-- Bill Gates
The Whole Child & Family
Most importantly – we PLAY and have FUN while learning! S.T.E.M. education is joyful discovery, and we are so lucky that it encompasses all other important areas of early childhood development: Math, Creative Arts, Social skills, Language and Literacy, and Approaches to Learning.
The parent-child bond is sacred. We nurture this special parent-child relationship by keeping in regular, thoughtful and thorough communication. Your child will always know you love them, and you will always know the ways in which your child is growing and learning.
Emotional well-being, self-understanding, self-knowledge and social competence are major goals in early childhood. We nurture this in each child through supportive exploration, nurturing respect and understanding of each other, and that each child is accepted for their own uniqueness and learning style. Hands-on, collaborative activities which are accessible, and yet always something new for them to learn, keeps them at a comfortable yet challenged learning level.
Focusing on the whole child means everyone is healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged
