Philosophy

The philosophy of the group is:

• Floor Time - We sit on the floor with the child / children and play at their eye level and their world. Learn more about Floor Time.
• Respect – In this group we respect each other, ourselves and the things we play with and the room we use.
• Responsibility – We are all responsible for our children and their actions as they learn and play. Please keep them safe.
• Education / learning – We are here to learn from each other and the people that come to the group to give us information about our children and ourselves.
• Physical growth and development – This is a time for nourishment for ourselves, a place to learn new skills and a time to have fun with other children and parents.
• Parent / child attachment –We learn about our children and the importance of relationship.
• Adult interaction – Group provides support and camaraderie for parents in sharing the joys and challenges of parenting. Information sharing is a way to learn new skills. Learn the importance of taking care of yourself, while caring for your children.
• Child interaction – Play is the best learning tool for children. Children learn the rules of living through play.
  • Mixed ages - We purposely invite children from ages 0-3 (and up to 5 siblings), because mixed age play is a positive and valuable environment for learning. Today, many families have one to two children and live far from cousins and extended family. This leaves little opportunity for children to experience mixed age play, compared to past generations. It has been said that at this time, the United States is probably the most age-segregated society that has ever existed.

• Parent shared discipline- It Takes a Village to Raise a Child. The more caring adults children have in their lives, the safer and more loved they feel. In our group, we encourage all parents to share the “opportunities for teaching,” like sharing, calming skills, etc. Children need to learn the skill of listening and learning from many teachers.