Teddy Bear Junction provides
child-centered classrooms designed to balance child-directed and
teacher-directed activities. This provides an atmosphere of play which
develops multiple skills and abilities for each child.
INTRODUCTORY PRESCHOOL - 18 to 23 MO.
TBJ toddlers are terrific! Our classroom of eight children and two
teachers is bursting with the excitement of discovery. The room is
arranged in basic interest centers: a home living center for dramatic
play; a table with puzzles build eye-hand coordination and spatial
relationships; a table of manipulatives that strengthen small muscles;
and a quiet book corner. The oh-so popular art table provides
introductory experiences with a variety of media. (Shaving cream
is one of our favorites!) Toy trucks and cars zip along in the
tiled area. Active involvement with children is important in all
our classrooms, so you'll probably find a teacher sitting on the floor
with the children playing with those cars and trucks. Teachers
enhance the vocabularies of children by introducing new concepts as they
play. Materials and equipment provide ongoing stimulation.
Children are also encouraged to come to circle to listen to a story or
to learn a song or finger play. Teachers provide a wide variety of
experiences for children and encourage, but do not require, them to
participate. A midmorning snack of juice and crackers or cookies
is provided, but a finger food lunch and a non-carbonated beverage comes
from home. We have neither the refrigeration nor cooking
facilities available. After lunch, licensing standards require
that children be given a rest time. Children are not required to
nap, but must rest quietly to allow teachers to help settle the rest of
the class. Pacifiers and "loveys" are encouraged for rest time if
the child is accustomed to using one.
When the weather is
pleasant, the children use our Toddler/Twos playground for half an hour
of outdoor play. If the weather is too hot, too cold, or too wet,
they use a large area of the Fellowship Hall, which is great fun for
their riding and pull toys. TBJ welcomes your child wearing a
fresh diaper. Diapers will be checked every 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and
will be changed if wet. Soiled diapers are changed immediately.
Please provide at least 3 disposable diapers in resealable baggies and a
change of clothing in your child's school bag. If your child soils
his diaper in the car, please stop to change him yourself before you
leave so that our teachers will be free during our greeting period to
work with children as they come in. Teachers are eager to work
with parents and children to make separation easier and to make each
child feel comfortable as soon as possible. Children who attend
only once a week usually take a little longer to feel comfortable in a
classroom environment, so the Monday only class is best suited for
children who have had previous pleasant experiences in a group setting.
If, after 4-6 weeks, your child is still not happy to be with us, we
will ask you to reconsider his or her placement. A smaller play
group with Mom nearby might be a more successful alternative.
