Philosophy
Children thrive in a warm and loving atmosphere — at home or elsewhere. Children whose parents must seek regular care for them by other adults especially need a nurturing environment that encourages them to experience all the normal daily activities of life at home. At Our Children’s House, our goal is to provide such an environment for each child.
Home Atmosphere
Because children function best and are most secure in the nuclear family, we try to provide a home-like atmosphere in which children and adults can identify as an extended family. We select our teachers with the greatest possible care to ensure that each child receives the special attention needed to develop in a healthy way. It is our goal to provide consistent, competent caregivers in numbers sufficient to keep the ratio of teachers to children as low as possible.
Consistent with the family environment, we allow the children access to the full range of the house as they carry out their daily activities. The only limitations on their play are those necessary for their own safety. Multi-age or “family” grouping promotes the feeling of closeness and allows the children to help and learn from each other. Toddlers learn skills from being with older preschoolers; older children learn to lead as they become models for the younger ones.
What We Value
Trying to describe how our nurturing environment comes to life in our center is not an easy task, as it involves the very special attitudes and approaches our teachers take in their every interaction with the children. Although many child care centers offer a caring environment, we believe our teachers provide a unique situation in which children know they are loved, respected as unique persons, and valued just for who they are. Perhaps our greatest testimonies are the alumni children who want to come back to “my school” to tell their former teachers about current activities and accomplishments, from losing the first tooth to learning to read or even graduating from high school. (Yes, some of our teachers have that much history with alumni children!) All of our children know they will always be welcomed at OCH.
Diversity
Diversity is a central tenet of our values at Our Children’s House. The staff, Board and parents of Our Children’s House believe OCH should be a preschool that is welcoming, inclusive, nurturing, and safe for children and families of all backgrounds.
We believe exposure to different ways of knowing, thinking and experiencing contributes to the healthy development of our children. We celebrate the different ways our children learn, and we are committed to the racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our children and their families. We also recognize our children and their families may have different religions, gender expressions, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, and worldviews. We believe this makes us a stronger community and creates a more loving environment and we ask our families to work with us as we strive to create a space that fosters peace and encourages the understanding of individuals from different generations, places, and experiences.
Our Curriculum
OCH maintains a Five Star Rated License with the NC Division of Child Development. Our Children's House uses an individual approach to learning focusing on play and relationships as our primary goal. Academics are taught through multi-sensory play. We offer instruction by immersion, meaning our students learn by experience. We base all classroom planning and interactions on NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development.
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Developmentally Appropriate Practice
At Our Children's House we believe in developmentally appropriate practice. We allow the child to take the lead while giving them a variety of experiences, and materials. We follow guidelines set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.