Childcare / Education / Camps
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12 Programs, 2 Sites, 1 Purpose
| Age | Class | Time(s) | ALLWays Learning Preschool | Valparaiso Family YMCA |
| Ages 1-2 | Toddler Child Care | All Day Care, 3-5 Days/Week |  |
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| Parent/Child Class | Mondays | |
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| Ages 3-5 | Half Day Preschool | |
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| Full Day Preschool | |
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| Pre-Kindergarten | Mornings, M-F | |
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| Pre-Kindergarten | Afternoons, M-F | |
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| Grades K-5 | Kindergarten Care | A.M. or P.M.; 3.5 Days/Week | |
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| Before School Care | 6-8:15am; 3-5 Days/Week | |
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| After School Care | until 6pm; 3-5 Days/Week | |
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| Ages 8-11 | Kooking with Kids | Tues & Thurs | |
YMCA Preschool Curriculum: The Y's Way to The Creative Curriculum
Second only to human relationships, a well-planned curriculum helps define a child's experience in a Y program. Curriculum affects all aspects of a program: over-all quality, parents' perceptions, and the outcomes and benefits of the program for individual children. The Creative Curriculum, developed by Teaching Strategies, Inc., and the companion guide The Y's Way to the Creative Curriculum, guide teachers in planning for the specific needs and interests of children. Grounded in the latest research on how children learn best, the curriculum provides a framework for six core content areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Arts
- Technology
The Y's Way to The Creative Curriculum rounds out the program with two additional components that are unique to YMCAs:
Healthy Habits: Y programs cultivate healthy habits in 3 key areas: nutritional choices. physical activity, and physical and personal safety. You will find children engaged in fun, safe, and rigourous activities in the gym and pool, on the playground and in the classroom.
Social, Moral, & Spritual Development: The latest research in early brain development highlights the importance of developing connectedness with others. It's through these connections that children develop a foundation for spiritual and moral growth and social skills. You'll find staff demonstrating, teaching and celebrating the Y character development values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
[Excerpts from YMCA Preschool Curriculum, Teaching Strategies, Inc.]
A Child-centered Focus
Your child is discovering all kinds of exciting worlds. That's why we carefully design every activitiy to expand children's imaginations and encourage positive lifelong values. Solely focusing on academics would conflict with our belief that child-centered teaching is the most effective way to develop literacy and physical skills along side self-expression, creativity, and freedom of choice. To complement the traditional classroom experience, Y kids develop self-control and a sense of purpose through activities such as swimming, community field trips, fitness, and cooking and nutrition lessons.
Standards Beyond the Norm
High standards for the care and development of children reflect the Y movement, values, and expectations. Our goal is to create a fun and safe environment that fosters children's learning through activities that teach the Y's core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility.
Staff
Staff members are caring individuals who believe their programs can help develop a better life for the children and families they serve. Lead teachers possess a Child Development Associate or a Bachelor's Degree. All youth services employees are required to pass a criminal background check and complete trainings in CPR, First Aid, and AED; child abuse and prevention; blood borne pathogen precautions; and, the Y-sanctioned Listen, Care, Share customer service program.
Unparalleled Purpose
Collectively, the Y is the largest provider of child care in America. Our programs at the Valparaiso Family YMCA enable us to provide vital buidling blocks for quality of life. We are in the business of developing healthy spirits, minds, and bodies. Many families make it a habit to play and learn together in our programs. Only at the Y can you start as a Toddler and continue learning and growing through your Boomers and Beyond years!
