Curriculum

Elements and implementation of Glen Leven's child-centered curriculum

Using the Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards as a developmentally appropriate guideline, and incorporating the importance of learning through play while following the children’s current interests, we will develop our emergent curriculum by:

• Promoting close relationships with the children’s families and continuous efforts to include families in our thinking and planning.

• Using space and materials that invite sustained engagement for continuous self-initiated play.

• Flexible space arrangements and routines to respond to children’s involvement in play.                             

• Minimal adult agendas that interrupt children’s play.

• Allowing child-initiated play themes that are incorporated into cleanup and group time routines.

• Little distinction between transitions and play.

• Turn-taking negotiated by children with teachers as coaches rather than intervening with ridged time limits

The environment supports the children intellectually as well as emotionally, preparing them for years of successful learning ahead. The teachers will do this by:

• Setting the stage and allowing time.

• Opening the space.

• Avoiding interruptions to significant play.

• Referring the children to each other to solve problems.

• Consciously observing for opportunities to coach and extend.

• Thinking twice before intervening.

The basic steps to achieve all this are:

• Provision or prepare the environment ahead of time.

• Sustain the play as much as possible.

• Enrich the play as needed.

• Represent and re-represent the experience (repetition and document).