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Whales Snails And Puppy Dog Tails Child Care Center

2125 York Haven Road
Etters, PA 17319

Phone:
(717) 938-9978

Website:

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We are an educationally based program with three teachers with Education Degrees. Two Teachers have four-year Elementary Education Degrees and one teacher has a Music Education Degree. These teachers have between 10 and 25 years of teaching experience each. My name is Bill Whale and my wife, Judy, and I own and operate the Center. We are at the Center from open to close and spend about 60 hours each at the Center each week. We are definitely hands on. I am the Director and have both and Undergraduate degree from Penn State and a Masters Degree from Rutgers University. I know of no Center that has the qualifications and experience of my staff and we put our heart into each child. We offer hot breakfast, lunch and two snacks each day and many many extras, like five field trips a week for our Summer Program.

SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Philosophy & Approach

School Philosophy

General Approach to Learning: Teacher-Led

From the Director:

We are an Educationally Based Child Care Center that prepares children, socially, emotionally and educationally for school. We have five teachers with four-year degrees. The two preschool teachers have Elementary Education Degrees with 25 years combined teaching experience. We have a Young Toddler Room Teacher with a four-year Psychology Degree and a Kindergarten Assistant Teacher with a Music Education Degree.

Curriculum & Teaching Approach

Learning Philosophy & Tools

  Play- based mostly teacher led not formally in curriculum conducive environment
Language      
Oral language  
Nursery rhymes, poems, songs  
Storybook reading  
Emerging literacy skills  
Cognitive development
Math & number sense
Time & space
Sci. reasoning/physical world
Music
Visual arts
Physical activity
Other subjects taught We teach the children Spanish words and work with them on manual dexterity and fine motor skills.

From the Director:

We do not run a center where the children are forced to be quiet. Our learning environment can be loud and boisterous at times, but it is not chaotic. The children help each other with the tasks and we do our best to maintain a fun and animated learning environment. We have the staffing to do it, since we usually have three to four extra people on staff every day.

Home-School Connection

Parents Say They are Encouraged to:

  • Hold social events at the school to build community
  • Are able to visit the school anytime we want
  • Go on field trips
  • Volunteer in the classroom
  • Receive newsletters

Modes of Communication

  • Notes
  • Phone Calls
  • Voice Mail
  • Email
  • Special Meetings
  • Two or More Regular Conferences
  • Drop-Off
  • Pick-Up
  • Regular newsletter/printed updates circulated to the whole school

Separation

Separation is Handled through:

  • Extra staff dedicated to handle separation

Handling Separation: From the Director

If you want a center with all the right staffing: well trained and motivated. If you want the best of facilites and an active program that has lots of learning and lots of fun.... Then come out and visit us.

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