Our Philosophy

We offer an open-minded, exploratory method of early-childhood learning that encourages diversity, flexibility and relationship-building. Geared towards student-directed activities and play, children learn through experience: touching, tasting, smelling; using all of their senses to communicate and absorb the wonders of their quickly expanding worlds.

Handprints 5 core values

Like the five fingers on a Handprint, Handprints has 5 core values within its philosophy on education and care of young children. These are:

 

  • Handprints believes in lifelong learning. From birth to adulthood, we should be inspired to learn, to grow, to develop ideas, beliefs, values. For our children, we want to inspire a love of the concept of learning, to love the discoveries of new and to commit to wanting to know more. For our educators, we challenge continuous learning, providing opportunities to research, question and learn more in our environment. For our families and community, we encourage a reciprocal relationship of learning, where each of us learns alongside each other and from each other throughout this process. From adult to child, we are all together committed to ongoing learning!

  • Rita Pierson once said “children do not learn from people they do not like”. To create an effective learning environment, we must create relationships. Theorists for a long time have valued the connections between educator, child, peer, family and community. All these connections will attribute to positive learning experiences within Handprints, to a sense of belonging and to creating a home away from home for all.

  • Handprints is a wondrous place. It will be a place where children experience the natural world and engage in asking questions to extend ideas. Our learning program will come from the questions and sense of wonder developed by our children, our educators, our families and communities. The phrase “I wonder” will be encouraged and embraced in our environment.

  • Early childhood is a period of rapid growth and change. By working in smaller numbers and groups of children, our educators will have time to regularly explore and update themselves on the individual process of growth and change. Furthermore, as an industry, Early Childhood Education also goes through a process of rapid growth and change. Handprints will remain open to new ideas, new theories and new information regarding the highest quality of practice it can offer young families.

  • Each of us brings something unique to a service. This includes educators, children, families, members of the community. Our experiences will be embraced in an inclusive environment that celebrates the uniqueness of each individual. We will learn from each other. Our environment will reflect an open, clean and respectful space where children can bring their own ideas and experiences, where educators can adapt to their own ideas and experiences, and where families will be encouraged and welcomed in with their own experiences. This will be OUR home.