Age Group:
Philosophy - We have based everything we do on empirical evidence: we want to use what works. Our programs are based on years of research that confirms that:
The result is an eclectic approach to early learning, borrowing from the best model programs and making use of the most recent educational research. Our foundation is found in the time-tested principles established by Maria Montessori, enriched by modern materials designed to address the needs of people in the twenty-first century. Because the program is based on results, we are not distracted by the latest educational fads, but we are willing to try new approaches. As such, we--like our clients--are always learning and growing.
Pedagogy - Created by Early Learning Institute, the HeadsUp!® Approach to early learning follows, and goes beyond, traditional developmental programs based on the developmental stage theories proposed by Jean Piaget. A Swiss scientist and learning theorist, Piaget described in numerous works how children change their manner of adapting to and interpreting their environment. Piaget outlined an elaborate sequence of capabilities, divided into four major stages, which he tied to narrow age ranges. Subsequent research indicates that children do not progress through stages in a step-by-step manner, that the age ranges at which children are capable of performing certain tasks is a function of their experience with the tasks and not their chronological age, and that children in Piaget's "sensorimotor" period (0-2) have much greater abilities than Piaget postulates.
By improving on programs that follow a strictly Piagetian framework, the HeadsUp!® Approach makes available an optimal level of materials and activities and fulfills children's requirements for novel and necessary experiences. This is especially true in the infant-toddler and twos programs, which use play and learning games to help lay the necessary foundation of all future learning.
The cornerstone of the Montessori approach is a respect for the child as an individual striving for independence. The role of the Montessori teacher is to observe each child carefully and to facilitate learning through the child's own experiences. The teacher provides order to a child's learning, not to dictate what should be learned, but to help structure the process by which everything and anything can be learned. Even today, more than 90 years after the creation of Maria Montessori's centers, her program remains the only organized, sequential, and individualized preschool curriculum that has been tested and proven to work.
Curriculum - The HeadsUp!® program recognizes the astonishing capabilities of very young children and offers games and activities that encourage the development of fundamental thinking skills. These skills are the source of all physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. Research has shown repeatedly that the critical skills necessary for success in all facets of life do not develop by themselves, but are part of the cultural heritage of human beings and must be learned. Good learning skills prompt the development of even more skills. The HeadsUp!® program encourages children to become conscious of and take pride in their emerging competence. By becoming aware of the skills he or she has, a young child is better able to use them.
The preschool program is a modified Montessori curriculum incorporating art, music, and imaginative play into the traditional emphasis on practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics, science, and cultural activities. At HeadsUp!®, the traditional Montessori program has been updated to incorporate activities that are an integral part of modern American society and preparatory for further learning. As implemented in a HeadsUp!® classroom, the Montessori approach is characterized by an open classroom filled with individual and small group work areas as well as a large central area for group circle activities. The open shelves contain an extensive set of unique Montessori learning materials organized into different areas (practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics, and culture) and sequenced from most basic to more complex. In addition, there are areas for other activities including art and imaginative play as well as for traditional preschool play materials (e.g., wood blocks, vehicles, dolls).
The daily curriculum activities feature a balance of broad-based skills (physical, social, emotional, intellectual, creative), while building excellent technical skills in the fundamental academic areas of reading, writing, speaking, numeracy (number literacy), and logical thinking. It encourages the development of personal characteristics that facilitate learning and success in the real world: persistence, initiative, curiosity, independence, and creativity. It incorporate subjects that are either non-traditional or are neglected by other schools, such as music and movement, interpersonal communications, art, human values and cultures, and practical life skills, such as cooking, recycling, and first aid.
The formal assessment objectives used by teachers are divided into groups that encompass both Montessori and traditional school terminologies: general intellectual functioning and skills (“cognitive”), language arts, mathematics, science, social sciences, art, music, Spanish, and Chinese. In addition, teachers assess “individual traits and qualities,” “group and social skills,” and--with the older children--”school readiness skills.”
Extended Care (available from 7:30am - 6:00pm)
Language support may be available. Offers courses in Spanish, Chinese, and other languages.
Financial aid is available for some classes. Contact for more information.