Philosophy
Glenview Methodist Preschool
A non-denominational preschool serving the children of Glenview and surrounding communities since 1965
Early childhood education begins when a child is physically and emotionally ready to explore the world with new people and in new places - separate from the home environment. It is meant to be an extension of the caring and teaching experience the child receives from birth.
Preschool emphasizes the principle that children learn through play. Play is promoted as a means to provide divergent thinking and facilitation of fantasy roles. Nurturing, warm, flexible interaction between adults and children will lead to positive social and emotional growth and strengthen awareness of self. The children will have the opportunity to explore, create, problem-solve and develop independence. Teachers are facilitators; they stimulate, encourage and guide, but never dominate. Children need to experience trusting, supporting relationships that will enable them to develop positive self images, learn to exercise self-control, and thereby achieve autonomy. We want children to develop body awareness and coordination and to learn to communicate feelings and ideas.
GMPS's goals are as follows:
* To help children adjust to different situations; to express creativity, imagination and inventiveness; to feel comfortable and secure in adjusting to and coping with their environments; to learn to think and to solve problems; and finally and most importantly, to gain a positive self image!
* To provide a secure environment which meets the needs of each child. The experience offered in this environment will include opportunities to develop in the following ways:
Socially, by fostering rewarding relationships with children and adults.
Physically, by encouraging use of large and small muscles and exploring the relationships between his/her own body and environmental factors.
Emotionally, by providing a gradual transition from home to school, meeting each child and parent with trust; offering opportunities to test relationships with peers and surroundings in order to better establish their images of themselves as worthwhile individuals.
Cognitively, by helping develop problem-solving skills, expanding verbal communication and logical thinking skills, and developing early literacy skills including phonemic awareness.
