The philosophy of the teaching team at Little Ark Preschool is such that we view the child as a protagonist, a philosopher, an investigator and a scientist. We believe they are competent and capable both as a learner, and as a teacher to others when extending their knowledge by scaffolding their peers. Children are not just learning, they are also learning how to learn. Through the children’s quest for knowledge, teachers are constantly learning too. Every year, month, day, children express new ideas and interests with new tools, techniques and materials. When the teachers learn as children do about any given topic of interest, they learn about the children, themselves as teachers and as a team. This creates the reciprocity of being partners in learning.

We believe each child is a unique individual with their own personality, skills, interests, experiences and desires. We believe that this diversity adds to the richness of the larger group and preschool community. And because each child is unique, we strive to accommodate each type of learner through a variety of activities in a multitude of ways. For example, some children may learn most naturally through drawing while others may find meaning in three-dimensional representation with clay or by building with blocks, and so on.

It is our role as teachers and facilitators to foster each child’s unique and authentic growth through play based activities that assist in guiding every child to reach their full potential on many different levels, including emotionally, socially, cognitively, physically, and spiritually.