Our Philosophy

Discovery Place provides a responsive and nurturing environment where children come to experience creativity and learn by discovery. Our goal is to give children the opportunity to act on the environment, explore their own potential and express themselves in original, exciting and creative ways. Discovery Place gives young children a rich early education experience by expanding their awareness and imagination through a variety of curricular areas. Discovery Place provides a warm environment that fosters developmental growth to help children become self-confident, well-integrated individuals.

The philosophy of education and pedagogy of Discovery Place reflects our dedication to what is acknowledged as best practice in early childhood education.  Our view is based on the belief that children are active researchers of their world. Children construct and co-construct knowledge and this knowledge is reinforced through self-expression and reflection.  This philosophy of learning stems from the legacy of constructivist, social-constructivist and systems thinking theories of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. More recently the work of Howard Gardner, Loris Malaguzzi, Carlina  Rinaldi and others influence the field of early childhood development.

We foresee a learning environment where children are viewed as proficient learners. Children have great potential, curiosity, and are entitled to an exemplary education in a positive atmosphere. Furthermore, we foresee a learning environment which supports a child’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development, therefore supporting life-long learning and critical thinking skills. The Discovery Place environment fosters an appreciation of aesthetics and beauty, self-esteem, and care and concern for the human community, living things, and the natural world.

Children are best supported in an environment where building strong relationships is of utmost importance and that encourages children, teachers and families to learn together.  Children learn by acting on the environment by themselves and with others, constructing and co-constructing their understandings as they:

Our child-centered program builds upon a child’s individual abilities, prior knowledge, particular interests, and cultural backgrounds. Learning is cultivated by viewing the classroom environment as an educator, which is filled with rich, beautifully abundant materials for exploration and self-expression. Learning is a continuous, negotiated process that is supported by daily conversations geared at generating ideas and child involvement. Long term projects jointly encourage in-depth investigations and complex learning processes.