Executive Director: Molly Scaife mscaife@burlingtonchildrensspace.org (802) 658-1500 x13
Program Director: Katlyn Bullis kbullis@burlingtonchildrensspace.org (802) 658-1500 x18
At Burlington Children’s Space, we believe that young children thrive when their learning is cultivated within a stimulating and nurturing environment that takes into consideration the “whole” child.
Family, culture, socioeconomic background and developmental stage are all integral parts of each child and should be welcomed as integrated parts of a rich environment. We strive to create a sense of community for our children within the Center and help them feel a part of the larger community they live in as well.
Children are competent learners. We respect and value their curiosity, their social nature, their purposeful inquiries and their incredible perseverance. We believe that children will demonstrate their own complex and meaningful agendas for learning as they all possess a natural desire to challenge themselves and embrace new experiences.
We believe in positive language, active problem solving, appropriate limits and positive consequences for desired behavior and we strive to model these ideas within empathetic and caring classrooms.
Finally, we believe in the power of love and acceptance and that we have as much to learn from young children as they have to learn from us.
Our Philosophy
Curriculum
Curriculum often develops in the form of exploration of a topic of interest that may take place in a few minutes or over the course of several months. The role of the teacher is to facilitate learning by listening, documenting and revisiting children’s learning. Teachers can also offer provocations that might expand a child’s thinking. Teachers meet daily to discuss curriculum development with the Program Director. They often share documentation in order to understand the concepts that children are exploring and receive feedback from peers. The following planning, cluster meeting and planning time schedules offers this rich opportunity to work collaboratively as teams of teachers and as classroom partners with this shared pursuit.
Time is set aside to communicate with parents and involve them in this process as well. Teachers are encouraged to consider themselves as researchers or learners along with the children and families. The natural environment is also considered a “teacher” and plays an important role in the development of curriculum.
You can learn more about our curriculum by viewing our blog which details classroom projects and investigations.
Communication and Connection with Families
Families play a crucial role in our program planning at BCS. We rely on and encourage parents and families to be involved on a number of levels, in what ways feel most comfortable to them. The biggest role, of course, is to be involved and excited about their child’s learning process and to consistently communicate with teachers. Parents can be involved in the classroom by participating in regular conversations with teachers, reading and commenting on documentation displays, and through a school email listserv. Parents can volunteer for a Board of Directors position or be involved in a variety of work days or volunteer efforts throughout the school year. Fundraising is a very important part of BCS work in which families are a welcome support.
Parent/Teacher conferences happen two times per year with the child’s primary teachers. Parents may request additional conferences or meetings at any time. We are using an online version of the Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment for all children at BCS. This system uses observations and artifacts (drawings, writing samples etc.) which are entered into different categories of learning, like Social Emotional Development, Physical Development, Cognitive Development & Language Development. This assessment system is reviewed three times per year in the Fall, Winter and Spring. This system for assessment was recommended by the Burlington School District and our other Early Learning Partners. We like it because it is strengths-based, meaning that it talks about what your child can do and the progress they have made over time.
We are using an online version of the Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment for all children at BCS. This system uses observations and artifacts (drawings, writing samples etc.) which are entered into different categories of learning, like Social Emotional Development, Physical Development, Cognitive Development & Language Development. This assessment system is reviewed three times per year in the Fall, Winter and Spring. This system for assessment was recommended by the Burlington School District and our other Early Learning Partners. We like it because it is strengths-based, meaning that it talks about what your child can do and the progress they have made over time.
For Preschoolers participating in ACT 166, part of the agreement with the State and the participating public schools is that we share this data with them. The assessments help show that the State’s investment in early childhood education is improving outcomes for incoming kindergarteners, and some school districts use the information to prepare for incoming 5-year-olds.