Play is the work of children. At Explore More, our curriculum is centered around play. Children learn through exploring, experimenting, discovering, and experiencing. Providers encourage growth and development through celebrating successes and allowing challenges to create teachable moments that guide learning.

Free play provides an opportunity for children to direct their own learning in a developmentally appropriate way. Providers supervise and help children, but the play is directed by the child. Materials and equipment are developmentally appropriate, accessible and reflect all children’s interests, skills, abilities and represent the child, youth, and families’ services.

Planned activities are grounded in developmentally appropriate practices. These activities are usually structured to introduce a new concept or reinforce those already learned by children. Activities include:

·      Stories which provide time for reading readiness skills of listening, retelling, and moral reasoning

·      Exercise to strengthen overall health and muscles

·      Music with instruments and singing to develop both vocabulary and listening skills

·      Art activities to build on a child’s imagination

·      Science experiments that allow children to explore and discover the world around them and how they fit in it

Objectives for development and learning include social-emotional, physical, language and cognitive, with content learning in literacy, mathematics, science and technology, social studies, and the arts. One of the many benefits of family childcare is the dynamics of a mixed-age group. Children from 6 weeks old through school age share the same space and many of the same materials and activities, which are tailored to meet the ability, learning style and needs of each child as determined by observations and assessments. Daily routines are used to create safety in a schedule that contains both active and quiet elements. 

Healthy relationships within our childcare family are also important aspects of the curriculum that guide social development. Children learn acceptance of others, regardless of age or ability. Children are encouraged to feel and name emotions and, if appropriate, choose ways to work through them, Cooperation and compromise are skills that are reinforced through regular interactions.

Families are asked to communicate and share goals with childcare regularly. We are a team and welcome families to participate in their child’s experience at Explore More in any way they can.

Experience Curriculum

We use the Experience Curriculum for Preschool and Toddlers. Experience Curriculum weaves 35 research-based skills into playful games and discovery projects. The cross-disciplinary model supports children’s on-going social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive development (including language and literacy. Mathematics and reasoning, social studies, science, and creative arts). Experience Curriculum is nationally recognized and aligned to state standards.