Alive Child Development Center

From the Director:

we offer a balance of learning activites: child-selected, informal, and teacher-directed

From the Director:

Alive uses The Creative Curriculum, Al's Pals, R is For Rainbow, Handwriting Without Tears, and Color Me Healthy; we use a centers-based structure for our learning environments; children have the opportunity each day to work in small groups, individually, and in large groups

teachers observe children closely and keep anecdotal recordings in each of 32 skill areas; this information is used to assist in planning each week's activities; children also work in small groups of 2-4 with the teacher to develop specific literacy and math skills

"ALIVE! Child Development Center believes in meeting the developmental needs of each child. We believe the child actively seeks knowledge in a well planned, safe environment which enhances his or her growth in all areas of development-social, emotional, physical, language, cognitive, and self-help skills. Children participate in play activities which teach age appropriate skills according to the developmental and individual needs of each child. The center has a family support worker with a master of social work degree.
ALIVE! Child Development Center protects and respects the dignity and worth of each individual child and family regardless of cultural background. We believe the staff at ALIVE! Child Development Center serve as resource persons and guides for your children, actively promoting his or her creativity.
Our program is structured to enrich children's experiences so that they get along well with other children and adults, develop their self-esteem, and are prepared for successful learning and positive social interaction in public school.
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Excerpted from the preschool's website

Parents are invited to visit their child's classroom at any time; Alive conducts monthly Prent Circle meetings on Wednesday evenings; each fall the director presents a workshop on "The Gift of Literacy" in which each family is provided a set of books and materials (such as alphabet match-ups, a set of magnet letters, a nursery rhyme CD) and provided instruction on how to help their child use these materials to develop literacy skills essential for success in kindergarten; likewise, a similiar workshop is offered to provide parents with materials and ideas to help their child develop math and science skills; parent-teacher conferences are conducted in the fall and again in the spring; Alive's Family Support Worker provides access to many community resources, based on each family's needs.

Home Visits are conducted by our family Support Worker at least twice a year, and as needed.