Early Childhood Program
"A
safe, compassionate place for kids to learn, grow, explore, and
have a great time."
Schedule
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ECP Environment |
Our Philosophy | Program Info
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Program
Information
A
unique aspect of Harmony School is the presence of children from 3
years old to 12th grade in the same school community. We provide
supervised opportunities for elementary, middle and high school
students to work in the Early Childhood classroom with the 3 to 6
year olds, reading books and playing games. In mixed age groupings,
the younger children learn from the example set by the older
children, whom they look up to. The older children, in turn, learn
responsibility and parenting skills while gaining an awareness of
early childhood development.
Children who are in the last year of the program (ages 5-6) are considered Kindergarteners
and continue to work at their own pace through the curriculum, but also participate
in afternoon elective classes along with the older students at Harmony School.
Teachers from all grade levels offer
these “Exploration and Creation” classes in one-month sessions, giving
Kindergarteners extra opportunities to interact with older children and other
Harmony teachers.
Parents are encouraged to participate in class and to share their thoughts and
concerns at any time. Regular Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled at the
end of each semester in which we provide a narrative
report, discuss the child's social, emotional, and academic progress, as
well as share any concerns and amusing anecdotes. Prospective parents are encouraged
to come to a Visitor Day at Harmony School, or to make an appointment in advance
to see the
program in progress.
Program Staff
During
the academic year our three teaching partners, Linda
Lewis, Tim Byers,
and Martha
Werbiansky, work staggered shifts so that one or more is present throughout
the day. Students from Indiana University work as program assistants
to ensure a minimum ratio of one adult to ten children. We typically
have 3 –- 5 caregivers in the classroom during the busy portion
of the day (roughly 8:30 to 4:30). In the summer, the same minimum
ratio is maintained and Martha leads a vigorous summer camp schedule
with lots of water play and field trips.
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