At Little Munchkins, we practice a developmentally appropriate curriculum. "Developmentally appropriate" is an approach to teaching that respects both the age and the individual needs of each child. Our developmentally appropriate curriculum covers children from birth to age 6.
We look at the "whole child," including growth intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically, and creatively. Every child develops in these different areas at their own rate; for example, a child may have strong intellectual skills and need to develop more socially. We use our experience and training to carefully plan activities that are not too simple or too difficult, but that will help each child learn and grow. Many of the developmentally appropriate activities are open-ended, having flexible procedures and few right or wrong answers. This way, children at different developmental levels can participate with equal success.
Reading is an integral part of our curriculum. In addition to providing a print-rich environment, we offer First 5's Raising A Reader program. This program fosters healthy brain development and early literacy skills critical for school success by engaging parents in a routine of daily "book cuddling" with their children from birth to age five.
Our program is a laboratory for active learning. Young children are able to learn through serious hands-on investigation. The importance of reading and writing is reinforced by the emphasis on written and spoken language and symbol recognition. Children learn mathematical concepts and skills through pouring, classifying, sorting, measuring and number activities - working out the concepts of more and less, one to one correspondence, and addition and subtraction.
More detailed information regarding Developmentally Appropriate Practice can be found at www.NAEYC.org.