Day Early Learning’s Theory of Teaching and Learning is the foundation for how we accomplish our mission to prepare children to thrive in Kindergarten and beyond.
With input from educators at all levels within our organization, ToTaL is rooted in current research on child development and learning. This resource is broken down into our core beliefs about children, the key conditions needed to optimize
learning and how those who work with children embody these beliefs to best support children’s learning.
- We believe that each child:
- Is competent and capable
- Learns through relationships with adults and peers
- Constructs knowledge through diverse experiences
- Learns and develops at a unique and individual pace
- Is constantly learning
- We believe learning is optimized when these conditions are met:
- Responsive and caring relationships exist, establishing the secure base from which children can explore the world.
- When a child’s play is honored as a crucial part of their physical, intellectual and social development
- Maintaining a focus on each child’s positive attributes and abilities
- Understanding each child within the context of their family, community and experiences
- Access to the educational resources that ensures each child thrives
- Ensuring predictable relationships routines and actions
The final component of ToTaL focusses on how all adults, educators and school leaders live out these beliefs through their roles and actions in the center.
ToTaL is our commitment to fellow colleagues, children and families to provide children with what they need to thrive in Kindergarten and beyond. ToTaL can be seen when an operations manager warmly welcomes a family and gives a child a hug upon arrival, when an educator prepares the block area with different building materials to extend the room’s study on ramps, and when a school leader meets with infant and toddler teachers to plan for successful classroom transitions.
