Lemberg Children's Center

From the Director:

The Lemberg Children’s Center at Brandeis University can only be an excellent school for young children when all teachers and adults share a unifying vision and work together toward common educational goals and purposes. One of our goals is to ensure successful developmentally appropriate learning and achievement in mathematics and reasoning, language and communication, the arts, science and nature, as well as athletics and physical development. In addition, an equally essential purpose and goal of ours is to help each child build the social and emotional skills that will be needed to successfully negotiate the diverse cultural and social expectations of the communities in which they live. We believe that in the best early education programs each adult has an important role and that every interaction affects the learning of each child in the program. Adult-child interactions make a difference in the life of the child, the adult, and the community. It is also true that each child-to-child interaction affects the happiness and learning of those children. In child-child interactions, adults take on the vital role of offering guidance and support while encouraging creativity, problem-solving and the making of choices. To achieve our goals for children’s growth and development, all the adults at Lemberg -- from the newest intern or work-study student to the executive director -- must share in our vision and act in ways that help to nurture each child, helping children to feel safe, trusting, and deeply cared about. Children must be guided to value the happiness of others as well as themselves. This can only happen when each adult is part of a community wide effort to practice these policies and values toward each other.

From the Director:

We welcome all children and treat them with attention, respect, and affection; and we encourage them to return this to others. We hire outgoing, friendly, family-centered professional caregivers and educators, who are encouraged to give hugs, be soft spoken, and be comfortable with each child. We design and implement a curriculum that is sensitive to cultural, racial, cognitive and physical differences. that is based on developmental and relational psychology theories and encourages adults to understand that play is an important way in which to learn. that is flexible, open and creative. that plans times when children can play in mixed age groupings. that incorporates a project approach to open education, which encourages our teachers to observe the interests of each child, and to provide a choice of activities based on these observations. that treats boys and girls equally and considers anti-bias perspectives. that uses psycho-dynamic approaches to understanding the behaviors of children. that encourages the resolution of conflicts peacefully, by using a model discipline plan that respects children. Lemberg is committed to family/staff cooperation and community service. We continue our vital mission to provide young children with loving, educationally appropriate care. We encourage friendship building, community involvement and excitement for learning. We welcome children who speak different home languages, celebrate different traditions, and have diverse abilities.

Eleven professional staff members: a director, five head teachers, two office staff members, and three Lemberg teaching fellows. They comprise the Lemberg Children’s Center staff. All have degrees in early childhood education, experience working with children and their families, as well as American Heart Association CPR and National Safety Council First Aid certifications.

All Lemberg teachers and teaching assistants undergo training through our Center for Early Childhood Teacher Development. The center contains extensive written resources to support teachers and assistants, and especially to provide structure for our program and to keep our philosophy firmly in mind.

Over the years, we have improved our facility, curriculum, and the ways we attend to the needs of each child and parent. We give high priority to staff stability in our program and achieve it by paying above market salaries and benefits. Our center has enhanced its supervision and in-service development program for teaching assistants and college students. We have good working relationships with other community and state agencies, and we participate actively in supporting the development of high quality childcare in Massachusetts. Lemberg has chosen to remain small in order to continue the personal, family-centered, cooperative effort that our model requires. These are achievements for which we are proud. Your support, and the continued participation of our alumni families, is essential for our school to work well and grow.

Our daily activities consist of:

Small group play/project times where children choose which activity (art projects, blocks, playhouse, puzzles, etc.) they will participate in.

Large group meetings — including stories, discussions of the daily plans, puppets, songs — followed by small group activities based on curricular plans lead by teachers.

Outside play time (preceded by hand washing, diapering and toileting).

Lunch and two snack times (preceded by hand washing, diapering and toileting).

Pre-nap activities — toileting, stories, reading, listening to records or tapes.

All children sleep or rest on their cots during nap time (approximately one hour, unless parents specify other arrangements).

Teachers communicate with parents often. To the class as a whole, they send out monthly newsletters and welcome letters to new parents, and have a curriculum meeting at the beginning of the year. We also have parent-teacher conferences which are set up at points through out the year.

On a day-to-day basis, teachers post sheets of the Daily Activities so that parents can see what their children have done. Parents can also always speak to the lead teachers at pick ups and drop offs. The lead teachers are also very accessible, and provide emails to the parents which they check daily. Parents can also call the center at any time during the day and speak with a staff member.

One of Lemberg's best features is how it handles the transition of a child into Lemberg. We start by giving parents a hand out on what to expect as well as strategies and tips on how to best introduce a child to Lemberg. Some tips include having the child bring a special lovey from home, or having the parents stay for a longer than normal period the first few days. We encourage children and parents to visit Lemberg before the child starts, and have many plans in place to help children see Lemberg as a positive place. Lemberg is unique in it's loving, caring atmosphere, and most children are able to adjust quickly. There is always staff to provide one-on-one care to a child when dropped off. The staff is eager to work with parents on helping the child find the best way to adjust, which of course varies for all children.