Dean Family Child Care Home

I am a state licensed child care home located in Harleysville. I offer the Mother Goose Preschool curriculum. Children ages 2.5 to age 6 benefit from this curriculum because it nurtures the child and supports social, physical and intellectual development. Your child will build foundational skills in early literacy, math, music, art, social studies and sciences. Your child will learn through art projects, music, storytelling, math games, science experiments and dramatic play centered around that month's theme. Some examples of past themes are Fables and Folktales, Friends and Feelings, and In the Orchard.

At Dean Family Child Care Home, our toddlers are learning right along with the same daily topics as our preschoolers! They are learn the same skills reinforced throughout the preschool curriculum, but leveled down to match the needs of toddlers who are ages 12 months to 30 months. Their activities reinforce the foundational skills in early literacy, math, physical and social development.

We believe the children learn the best with hands-on learning activities. We use cardboard letters, numbers, and shapes that the children are able to touch, trace, and interact with. Each month the children receive a My Little Journal which they use all month long to write, draw, scribble or collage the ideas related to the numbers, letters, shapes, and colors they are learning. The children also receive an I Can Read book where they use picture clues to read the simple words and practice seeing letters in print.

We believe that when children are offered choices they feel more positive about their work and feel less anxious. We have Investigation Stations designated in the preschool room where the children can go and touch, build, look, create, role-play and initiate conversations with their friends.

Discussions are initiated everyday when we get together in the morning during opening circle time and when we close the day with closing circle. A basic concept such as a number, letter, shape, or color is introduced during morning circle time. We also open and end the day with a daily theme finger play/song.

Character development is talked about and worked on each day. It is important for the children to feel self-worth and value. In return, the children will show kindness, sharing, and cooperation. The children learn to be a helper and contribute to daily classroom duties such as holding the door, wiping the table, and handing out snack.