Philosophy

Supporting the Mission of the Maine Children's Home, we
offer an array of childcare and early education services for children
from infancy through age 5.

Our comprehensive early care and education facility exists for the purpose of promoting, nurturing, and enhancing all areas of children's development. Basic to our purpose is the assumption that all children are individuals of equal worth and value who come to the program at their own developmental level and bring with them a unique mixture of family background, culture, personality, and learning style.
We know that children are naturally curious, eager to learn, and motivated by their own desire to make sense of their world. We believe that a rich learning environment, deliberately designed with much to explore and to discover, is essential in helping young children to learn basic skills. Concrete and sensory materials are a vital part of this environment because they are basic learning tools for the young child.

We believe that children learn from each other. We know that the growth of initiative and self reliance in the young child is encouraged in an atmosphere of trust and structured freedom. Modeled in each classroom, the concepts of respect, responsibility, and growth through personal achievement develop positive lifelong attitudes towards learning.

We value and practice proven methods of Early Childhood Education - gearing materials and instruction to the child's level, encouraging choices and decision making, and supporting problem solving - because they develop each child's future educational growth.

Using Developmentally Appropriate Practice established by
the National Association for the Education of Young Children,
our child-centered curriculum offers experiences and
activities in:

Social and Emotional Development
Language and Literacy
Music and Drama
Art and Multi-Media Experiences
Exploration & the Scientific Method
Movement:

• Body Awareness
  
• Locomotion
  
• Spatial Relationships
  
• Creative Dance
  

Non-Competitive Group Games
Mathematics Understanding:

• Prepositions
  
• Sorting By Attributes
  
• Ordering
  
• Number Sense and Counting
  
• Geometry & Spatial Relationships
  
• One to One Correspondence

Manipulatives

Services for Our Families

Quality Early Care and Education
Family Support
Access to Resource Library
Skilled Early Childhood Educators

	Infants 6 weeks - 9 months (Left)         Mobile Infants 9 months - 18 months (Right)
	Toddlers 1½ years - 3 years (Left)         Preschool 3 years - 5 years (Right)