Child Care Programs - Case Study Example

Child Care Programs Child Care Programs Numerous Child Care Programs in America seek to provide different services to children. I have visited Montessori Academy of Chicago and the Gardner School of Chicago that offer significant Child Care Programs. The address for the Montessori program is 1335 W Randolph St Chicago, IL, 60607. The contact details for Montessori Academy of Chicago are 312.243.0977, Fax: 312.243.0997 and Email address is info@montessoriacademychicago.org (Montessori Academy of Chicago, 2014). Carol Martorano is the Director of Education in this program. On the other hand, the address for the Gardner School of Chicago is 1612 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL 60622. The contact details for the Gardner School of Chicago are (773) 661-0151 Office (TGS Holdings, LLC, 2014). I visited the Chicago, IL - West Loop Campus branch located at West Madison Street, Suite 100. Tania Crawford is the Executive Director in this program. Interviews with Tania Crawford and Carol Martorano revealed the setting of each program with respect to the type of program and teaching approach adopted. The educational program provided at Montessori Academy of Chicago accommodates children aged between 6 weeks to 12 years old. The program entails a Cosmic Education, an integrated, thematic approach that seeks to provide the student’s sense of community and love of learning driven by their innate desire to understand and explain the world around them. The program achieves this by involving teachers that seek to foster emotional well-being, cognitive development, leadership, community well-being, and fun in learning, creativity, and confidence. On the other hand, the educational program offered at the Gardner School accommodates children aged between 6 weeks to five years old. The program entails computer learning system, creative curriculum, and a detailed, research-based Pre-kindergarten curriculum that offers cognitive and physical development through a tested and systematic learning process. The educated, trained, caring, and motivating teachers in this program seek to nurture children for academic achievement and future success. Moreover, my interviews with Tania Crawford and Carol Martorano revealed how grounded the programs are with respect to learning and developmental theories. Indeed, it was quite clear that the programs related to the Piaget’s cognitive theory (Robeson, 2012). Montessori Academy of Chicago and the Gardner School of Chicago offer curriculums that adapt to a child’s developmental level as reflected in Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. The infant and toddler stages relate to the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development where the programs ensure that children differentiate self from objects (Robeson, 2012). The Pre-Primary/pre-school, Primary, and pre-kindergarten curriculum stages relate to Pre-operational stage of cognitive development where the programs ensure that children learn to use language, classify objects with images and words (Robeson, 2012). The Elementary I and Elementary II curriculum stages adopted by Montessori Academy of Chicago relate to concrete operational stage of cognitive development where the program ensure that children depict logical thinking about objects and events and classify objects with respect to numerous features (Robeson, 2012). Indeed, Montessori’s curriculum enhances interactions between children, teachers, and the environment to foster cognitive development in children. Moreover, the educational program at The Gardner School fosters and develops childrens growth and development. The two programs offer a wide range of learning activities and lessons that are appropriate to children of different ages. Indeed, the learning environments, activities, and lessons provided by the two programs seek to meet the children’s needs by enhancing physical, social, and cognitive development as defined in learning and developmental theories (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). The programs achieve this by adopting relevant teaching approaches propelled by educated, trained, and caring teachers. The programs promote interactions between children, teachers, and the learning environment, which ensures that the childcare programs achieve their intended purpose. Montessori Academy of Chicago and the Gardner School of Chicago use materials that support cognitive development as defined in learning and developmental theories (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). Most specifically, the materials used in classrooms to support cognitive development relate to Piaget’s cognitive theory. In Montessori Academy of Chicago, a head teacher and a minimum of two assistant teachers handle a single classroom that ensures children receive individualized instruction and learning materials. In a Montessori classroom, students enjoy a good learning environment at all levels of cognitive development. The students start with simple activities and materials and progress to complex materials as the children pass through specific age levels defined in the curriculum. The program provides multi-sensory materials to the infants and toddlers for purposes of engaging their minds and hands. For instance, the program offers customized stands, stairs, beds, tables, and pulling bars that allow infants to learn about movement and differentiate objects from self. In the Gardner School of Chicago, the program offers stimulating objects, American Sign Language, and monthly themes to the infants and toddlers in the classroom. These materials foster communication and sensory skills and derive ability to identify colors. The sensory and learning materials relate to sensorimotor stage of cognitive development since they help the students to gain capacity for motor coordination and visual differentiation (Robeson, 2012). In Montessori Academy of Chicago, the program offers math materials, calendars, pencils, and crayons of all kinds, specially created materials, sensorial materials, blocks of different colors and shapes, and language materials to the students at the pre-primary and primary curriculum levels. In the Gardner School of Chicago, the program offers computers, computer keyboard, paintbrushes, chalkboard, material to create patterns, cardboard letters, chalk, pencils and crayons, picture book, and fitting objects to the students at the preschool and pre-kindergarten levels. These materials enable students to gain skills in spelling, calculating, communicating, reading, differentiating objects and numbering. These materials relate to pre-operational stage of cognitive development since they help the students to gain awareness of numbers, represent and classify objects, develop preliminary literature skills, and make decisions, concentration, and a sense of responsibility (Robeson, 2012). At the Elementary I and Elementary II levels, the program provides regular, monitored science experiments, pictures, puzzles, magazines and catalogues, scientific material, books, and material to create patterns. These materials relate to concrete operational stage of cognitive development since they help the students to gain some basic skills that define natural things, capacity for abstract thinking, and improved literacy skills (Robeson, 2012). Ideally, we can compare and contrast the programs with each other. Notably, the educational program offered at the Gardner School accommodates children aged between 6 weeks to five years while Montessori Academy of Chicago accommodates children aged between 6 weeks to 12 years old. Both programs seek to stimulate physical, cognitive, and social development among the students. However, while Montessori Academy of Chicago adopts the Cosmic Education curriculum that entails an integrated, thematic approach to education (Montessori Academy of Chicago, 2014) the Gardner School uses a Computer Learning System, the Creative Curriculum, and the DLM Early Childhood Express curriculum (TGS Holdings, LLC, 2014). At a supplemental fee, both programs offer extra curriculum activities that include dances, gymnastics, swimming, karate, and arts. The two programs rely on specially trained teachers in providing these lessons. However, the Gardner School collaborates with private providers who offer these lessons at a reduced cost. The two programs manifest different curriculum levels. Indeed, the Montessori curriculum entails Infant, Toddler, Pre-Primary, Primary, Elementary I, and Elementary II levels while the Gardner School curriculum entails Infant, Toddler, Preschool, and Pre-K / Kindergarten Readiness levels. The two programs employ educated, trained, caring and motivating teachers that meet state qualifications. However, Montessori Academy of Chicago trains and certifies its teachers according to its programs. More so, Montessori supports and funds its teachers to continue with education. The two programs support 12-month online registration through their respective websites. The two programs hold two parent-teacher conferences in a year to review the child’s development. Additionally, Montessori Academy of Chicago uses email communications and journals to inform the parents on the child’s progress. I would recommend some changes on the program offered at the Montessori Academy of Chicago. It would be relevant to incorporate computer-learning systems in the educational program. Since the modern environment defines a computerized world, it would be necessary to empower children with some basic computer knowledge at an early stage. Using a computer will allow the students to learn about the correct grammar, calculations, numbering, spelling, and reading with ease. Computers would enhance the process of cognitive development. Moreover, I can suggest activities that would increase each of the programs to support cognitive development. For the program offered by Montessori Academy of Chicago, I suggest play explorer that will include the reproduction of familiar sounds. I will also suggest that teachers invent stories with children. For the program offered by the Gardner School, I suggest that teachers should refer to children books and respond to childrens specific questions. References Montessori Academy of Chicago. (2014). Philosophy. Retrieved from: http://www.montessoriacademychicago.org/school/philosophy.php Robeson, Sue (2012). Developing Thinking and Understanding in Young Children: An introduction for students (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. Shonkoff, J. & Phillips, D. (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. TGS Holdings, LLC. (2014). Welcome to The Gardner School. Retrieved from: http://www.thegardnerschool.com/welcome-gardner-school Read More