Parent Information
Contents
- Application and Fee Schedule
- Hours and Calendar
- Curriculum
- Parent Participation
- Specialized Therapies
Application and Fee Schedule
Accepting Applications for Fall 2011 Enrollment
Download the 2011-2012 FPG Childcare Application form [PDF, 97K] Revised 6/13/2011
Hours and Calendar
FPG Childcare Program closes for one week in August to facilitate cleaning, professional development and program planning. We close for another 5 days in December, in addition to the winter holidays, for cleaning. We close for one teacher workday per month, and 6 additional University holidays (Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Holiday, Thanksgiving, etc.)
The childcare program serves approximately 80 children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years
2011-2012 FPG Child Care Program Calendar [PDF, 356 KB]
Curriculum
Daily activity schedules include a variety of indoor and outdoor activities that are appropriate to the ages and interests of the children in each classroom. Structured and unstructured activities are balanced across the day and, whenever possible, children are allowed to choose among several available activities. We do not teach academics in a traditional or obvious way, for example by quizzing children on numbers or letters, or having children do worksheets. We do, however, prepare children for later success in school--and in life. We believe that what children need to learn in the early years can be accomplished through play, providing they have appropriate guidance from nurturing and responsive care providers.
FPG teachers provide a variety of developmentally appropriate activities each day that are designed to encourage the children's exploration of science, language, math concepts, literacy, art, music, movement, and dramatic play.
Activities may be drawn from existing infant, toddler, and preschool curricula (e.g., The Creative Curriculum by Dodge; Active Learning Series by Cryer, Harms, and Bourland) or the teachers may create their own activities--often in direct response to the children's interests in a particular topic or theme. For example, cooking activities are extremely popular with the children at FPG and these can be done appropriately with all but the very youngest. A skilled teacher can successfully embed the teaching of language, math, science, or emergent literacy skills within the context of just about any cooking activity.
We further believe that facilitating children's social and emotional development is an important component of our curriculum. After all, the ability to understand and control one's own emotions, to develop meaningful relationships with others, to persist in the face of frustration or disappointment, and to conform to social expectations are as critical as any pre-academic skills are to later school success. These skills are taught through the course of everyday routines, as opportunities arise, by sensitive, supportive, and skilled care providers. Thus, at FPG, even instances of misbehavior are perceived as opportunities for teaching children.
Parent Participation
Staff members at FPG recognize the importance of effective parent-teacher partnerships in serving all children. Effective partnerships include honest and ongoing communication with families, and respect for individual differences in values and priorities. Communication can take many forms from snatches of informal chatter at the beginning or end of the day, to short notes about the child's day that are stuck in a diaper bag or cubby, to e-mail messages or evening phone calls, to more formal parent-teacher conferences. The more open, honest, and frequent the communication, the more effective the partnership will be between parent and teacher.
Parents are provided with a number of options for being involved in the program. These include joining their child's class during morning circle time, going on a field trip, volunteering in the classroom, attending classroom potluck dinners, or attending FPG's parent advisory board. Although we encourage parent involvement, we feel strongly that parents should feel free to choose for themselves the type and level of involvement that is meaningful and that fits into their busy schedules.
Specialized Therapies
Click here to download information on Specialized Therapies [80K] to find out:
- Principles guiding intervention practices in the FPG Childcare Program
- How intervention services are delivered in the FPG Childcare Program
