Capital Campaign - Vision Statement

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Over the span of 22 years, Discovery Place has consistently worked to contribute to the community by partnering with families to provide children the best educational beginning.  We see ourselves as a community of learners, weaving theory and practice together while providing leadership and innovation in early childhood education.

By securing a location for Discovery Place we will realize our dream of continuing our journey in our work with children.  Given the opportunity to continue our work, our goal is to establish an innovative early childhood site supporting exemplary practice and research.  Securing an expanded space will allow the addition of program components to enrich children’s experiences, increase parent involvement, extend our abilities as teachers/researchers, and provide opportunities for collaboration with others, thereby making valuable contributions to the field of early childhood and our community.

Inspired by pioneering early childhood programs in Italy and across the United States, our architects have envisioned a modest but beautiful building with a natural outdoor habitat and play spaces.  We have proposed eleven open classrooms with natural lighting and a concentration on artful aesthetics. Also planned are meeting rooms, work spaces for parents and staff, an equipped kitchen, indoor music, movement and drama room, and an art studio. Our program will be enhanced greatly by these features:

Atelier: The Atelier, or art studio, is a space designed to offer daily opportunities for children to work with beautiful materials for exploration, inquiry and self expression.  Children wonder, explore, inquire, investigate, and experiment to learn about their world and to expressively demonstrate their knowledge through a systematic focus on symbolic representation.

Theatre:  The Theatre is a place where children can confidently express and explore the many symbolic, cognitive, and communicative possibilities, including music, movement, shadow play, puppetry, storytelling, and drama.

Nature Habitats, Natural Play Spaces,  and  Edible Gardens:  Children need to explore natural outdoor spaces to support their optimal growth and development.  The “green spaces” will include native grasses, plants, and trees. Natural habitats like butterfly gardens, wildflowers, and Kansas wildlife areas will be accessible to children. Also, spaces for vegetable gardens will allow children to plant, grow and eat their own crops, to improve understanding of plant growth and nutrition.  Through on-going observation, involvement/interaction with nature, and science investigations, critical thinking skills emerge along with an understanding of the important role nature plays in our daily lives.

Kitchen/Science Lab: A full sized kitchen and resident chef who works closely with teachers, children, and families on menu planning and informed food choices is an integral part of a program which emphasizes healthy development.   Also, a children’s kitchen and science lab gives children space and equipment for real experiences in food preparation, cooking, science experiments, nature and garden studies for healthy life-style choices.

Piazza:  A school is a welcoming gathering place for educators, children, families, and community members.  The central Piazza will be an inviting area to encourage encounters, exchange ideas, celebrate and contribute to the life of the school. The Piazza will also serve as an exhibit hall to display documentation of classroom projects and exhibit children’s works of art.

Meeting Spaces:  Spaces designed specifically for research, collaboration, and idea sharing are essential for professional development and building collegial relationships.  Our program invites others to visit, tour and participate in education seminars and initiatives.  Also, providing spaces for parents to gather and work demonstrates the value placed on their contributions.  Such proposed meeting and working spaces will include a   parent involvement room,   research and work room,   professional development room and  community connection room.