How We Are Different
CDC is much more than your typical Preschool Program. We are unique in many ways for the wide variety of services for young children, their families, and the community that we provide. Both the programs and the staff have received many awards and praise for their excellence and effectiveness. Our curriculum has been recognized for its excellence by various state agencies and also nationally. It has been used as a model to develop curricula for programs throughout the United States, serving young children and those with special needs.
CDC is different in five significant ways:
- We believe that each child, whether or not they have special needs, is a unique individual and needs their educational experiences tailored to their strengths and individuality. A Child’s most extraordinary capacity for growth is from birth to five years.
- We believe that all children need and deserve teachers who are sensitive to them as a person. The thoughtful teacher sees the child through family, culture, and personal history. These teachers must have training and experience to adapt any curriculum to the child to help that child reach their maximum potential
- We believe that a child’s developmental level is more important than the child’s chronological age when designing that child’s curriculum.
- We believe that fully inclusive classrooms, with a mixture of children with and without special needs, benefit all children in the program. It provides opportunities for children with special needs to be surrounded by children with typical development in speech, gross and fine motor skills, cognitive development, language, social, and play skills from whom to learn. The children without special needs learn that good friends may be found in various sizes, shapes, and situations. They also learn lessons of kindness, empathy, and sensitivity that will serve them well their whole lives.
- We also believe that children learn through a wide variety of activities; they learn through opportunities to explore a wide variety of activities. They learn music, art, science, and nature. They learn through the experience of exploration with their teachers and peers.