Child Care Philosophy I have chosen Family Child Care as my life long profession. Watching each child grow and develop to his fullest potential and being involved as a part of this growing process makes my chosen profession very rewarding. It takes hard work and dedication to be good at what I do. I strive for understanding, patience and love in teaching and caring for children. I am successful only with the support of the parents who entrust their children to me. I use my judgment as if they were my own children, and I try to redirect and guide them in the best possible way that I can. I achieve this through love, consistency, and firmness. Parents and myself, must be able to work together to make the child's time in my home as calm and happy as possible. The basis on which we, provider and parent, must work together is TRUST. Without it, neither of us can be happy. It is essential that we discuss our differences and our problems, and that we also share our successes and achievements. Only with effective communication can we as parent(s) and provider ensure that each child has the opportunity to grow in a warm, loving and nurturing environment. I believe that self-esteem is the critical component to optimal growth in your children. In order for a child to develop high self-esteem, we focus on developing the socialization and self-help skills needed to succeed in other areas of development. Children at Sunshine Corner are given the chance to explore, experiment, and create in a safe and nurturing environment. By the time they start kindergarten, they should have learned, more or less, to obey simple rules, follow directions, play with other children, and cooperate with adults. With Basic small motor skills and Basic Pencil and letter skills. Just how well children learn to get along with others depends, to a large extent, on how they feel about themselves. If the adults who care for them have helped them to feel they are valued and competent, children are likely to be relaxed and friendly with others. Play is the way children learn about their world, themselves, and others, and the way they develop the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in their lives. All children learn and grow in their own special way. I feel that as children, they need love and guidance more than anything else. They need time to experience and learn; to become their own person. I believe that when children learn through play, they lean to enjoy learning. By providing the right kind of environment, I believe that children will learn at their own appropriate rate. The idea of learning through play works better with younger children because it captures their attention. I hope to have strong communication with you, the parents. I hope to maintain a secure family atmosphere and a friendly relationship. I also hope that each child will take a part of My family with them as they go out into the world. Obviously, parenting methods differ from family to family. Some things, which work between parent and child at home, are inappropriate in the childcare setting. I do not assume that I can meet every family's childcare needs. Sometimes the chemistry between the children just isn't right or, the parent(s) and provider may be unable to establish a good working relationship, or values brought to the childcare may differ too much to make things workable. However, if we must disagree, let's work together towards a solution that is in the child's best interest. Let us be supportive of each other. The Value of Play: Play is learning for life. Almost everything that children learn during their first six years is learned through play, and they work very hard at it! From the time they are born, without anyone telling them how, children stretch, pull, push, and move from place to place. Play develops children's skills, teaches them to relate to their peers, and develop their own personality. Children have a profound need to play, climb, and run, use their Imagination, test themselves and challenge others, and above all to enjoy themselves. "Kids will be kids, and to be a kid they have to play, to play they sometimes get dirty, when they get dirty it means they are having fun, and when they have fun I have done my job!" - Christel ______________________________________________________ Site Designed By Christel For Sunshine Corner, Denton Tx., Graphics By Amr Originals