PROGRAM GOALS

A.   DEVELOP A POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE

Children will be provided opportunities to:

      1.  Know they are competent persons
      2.  Become increasingly independent and confident in their abilities
      3.  Become aware of self in relation to family and friends

B.   ENHANCE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Children will be provided the opportunities to:

                  1.  Know that the Center is a place other than home where they can feel cared for and secure, both physically and emotionally
      2.  Know that they can trust adults other than their parents.
      3.  Recognize and respond to a range of feelings within themselves
      4.  Become able to deal with confrontations, conflicts, and failures as well as              successes.
      5.  Develop an increasing perception of their physical identity
      6.  Develop self-help skills
      7.  Learn to share ideas and materials with others
      8.  Learn to enjoy living and contributing to a group without losing their identity

C. ENHANCE COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children will be provided opportunities to:

1.   Learn to solve problems and learn to ask for help
2.   Improve language usage and express themselves verbally
3.   Express themselves creatively with materials
4.   Develop the freedom and ability to engage in play
5.   Develop their senses and perceptual ability
6.   Enlarge their knowledge of places and events
7.   Learn about colors, shapes, sizes, positions and recognize letters and their sounds
8.   Increase their understanding of size, space, and time
9.   Increase their skills in classification and numeration
10. Learn about foods and the ways nutrition affects their bodies and development
11. Be aware of others and develop empathy for their needs

D.  DEVELOP MOTIVATION CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING

Children will be provided opportunities to:

1.  Experience pleasure in learning
      2.  Select and direct their own activities and play
      3.  Develop persistence and attention to task

E.   PROMOTE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Children will be provided opportunities to:

1.  Know that the church is a place where they can feel loved and cared for
      2.  Be exposed to adults modeling Christian ideals 

F.   ASSURE PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Parents will be provided opportunities to:

1.  Increase their knowledge of child development
      2.  Extend and supplement their children's learning experience at the Center through  conversations, written communication and additional activities
      3.  Achieve a successful separation from their children