DAP

Sunshine Nursery School's Inclusion Philosophy
Any family who applies to send their child to Sunshine is accepted regardless of race, religion, cultural
heritage, political beliefs, parent's marital status, disabilities and sexual orientation. The special
needs of children may include language delay, physical disabilities, and delay in emotional
development. All children are accepted unless the challenge for the child puts an undue burden on the
teachers, other children in the class or encores a large financial burden to the school.

Children attending Sunshine Nursery School do not have to be toilet trained but we encourage children
to be "potty trained." The Massachusetts law states, when accepting special needs children, a
requirement of being toilet trained is not necessary.

Our goal for all children at Sunshine are to have many successes, to build self-esteem and build a
solid foundation for you child to enjoy coming to school and have a smooth transition to public or
private kindergarten. We build on the social, emotional physical and cognitive development of the
whole child through PLAY, problem solving, asking open-ended questions and encouraging self-help
skills.

Teachers use their expertise with young children through the day to meet their individual needs at all
times during the daily schedule.

Department of Education guidelines and Standards
for Preschool Learning Experiences

1. All young children are capable of learning. All children are capable of positive developmental
outcomes. Preschool teachers should hold high expectations for all young children.

2. Children show individual differences in development. Although children develop skills and
competencies through a generally predictable sequence of milestones, they do not develop them in
exactly the same way or at exactly the same time. Some children may have a developmental delay or
disability that requires individualized expectations, experiences and materials.

3. Knowledge of child growth and development is essential for program development and
implementation. Decision about appropriate curriculum for groups of children and for individual
children should be based on knowledge of child development and on careful observation of children at
play.

4. Children's language skills are the best predictors of academic success. Development of
children's English language skills should be a major goal of the preschool curriculum. Early
childhood is a critical time in the development of vocabulary and other language skills. These skills
provide the foundation for learning to read and write and for later academic achievement.

5. Developmental domains are highly interrelated. Development in one domain influences the
development in other domains. This interrelationship must be considered in planning preschool
programs. For example, children's mathematical learning may occur on the playground, in dramatic
play or while using sensory materials.

6. Young children learn by doing. Teachers should provide opportunities for children to explore
materials, to engage in physical activities and to interact with peers and adults. A balance of child-
initiated and teacher selected activities will maximize children's learning.

7. Families are the primary caregivers and educators of their young children. Program staff must
give families the information they may need to support their children's learning and development.
Program staff and families should also work together to ensure that children are provided with the best
learning experiences possible at home and at preschool.

Guidelines for Preschool Experiences structures learning through play and meaningful activities in a
developmental sequence. The mark of a superior teacher is the ability to select materials and interact
with children in ways that help them learn through their own play and these planned activities. Young
children need many and varied opportunities to:

PLAN: children consider what they are going to do with materials and how they are going to do it.
PLAY: children use materials and equipment in ways that best suit their personal curiosity and
            understanding.
REFLECT: children recall things that happened to them, reinforcing or questioning their
                   understandings.
REVISIT: children practice skills and replay experiences in many different ways, with each activity
                 refining or modifying previous learning.
CONNECT: children, with the help of staff, connect new knowledge with past experiences, creating
                    links among subject areas and ares of skill development.

What are Developmentally Appropriate Practices?
The Early Childhood profession is responsible for establishing and promoting standards of high-
quality, professional practices in early childhood programs. These standards must reflect current
knowledge and shared beliefs about what constitutes high-quality, developmentally appropriate early
childhood education.

Developmentally appropriate practices result from the process of professionals making decisions
about the well-being and education of children based on at least three important kinds of information
or knowledge.

a. What is known about child development and learning-knowledge of
        age-related human characteristics.

b. What is known about the strengths, interests and needs of each
        individual child in the group.

c. Knowledge of social and cultural contexts in which children live to
        ensure learning experiences are meaningful, relevant and
        respectful for the participating children and their families.

The following are principles of child development and learning that inform and guide decisions about
developmentally appropriate practice:

a. Domains of children’s development-physical, social, emotional, and
        cognitive- are closely related. Development in one domain
        influences and is influenced by development in other domains.

b. Development occurs in a relatively orderly sequence, with later
        abilities, skills, and knowledge building on those already acquired.

c. Development proceeds at varying rates from child to child as well as
        unevenly within different areas of each child’s functioning.

d. Early experiences have both cumulative and delayed effects on
        individual children’s development; optimal periods exist for certain
        types of development and learning.

e. Developmental proceeds in predictable directions toward greater
        complexity, organization, and internalizations. (Learning during
        early childhood proceeds from behavioral knowledge to symbolic
        or representational knowledge.)

f. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple
        social and cultural contexts.

g. Children are active learners, drawing on direct physical and social
        experiences as well as culturally transmitted knowledge to
        construct their own understanding of the world around them.

h. Development and learning result from interaction of biological
        maturation and the environment, which includes both the physical
        and social worlds that children live in.

i. Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and
        cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development.

j. Development advances when children have opportunities to practice
        newly acquired skills as well as when they experience a challenge
        just beyond the level of their present mastery.

k. Children demonstrate different modes of knowing and learning and
        different ways of representing what they know.

l. Children develop and learn best in the context of a community where
        they are safe and valued, their physical needs are met, and they
        feel psychologically secure.

Early childhood professionals draw on all these fundamental ideas (as well as many others) when
making decisions about their practice. Just as all domains of development and learning are
interrelated, so, too, there are relationships among the principles.

Teachers create a caring community of learning; teach to enhance development and learning; assess
children’s learning and development; and establish reciprocal relationships with families.

At Sunshine Nursery School, teachers strive to develop their curriculum and interaction with children
and families according to these principles.