About Us
PLAY
We believe the ideal childhood involves having memories of doing something really fun and amazing outside. Children learn through play. “Not only is it an incredible source of fun and socialization, but play is also crucial to children’s learning and development” says Katie Chiavarone author of The Undeniable Power of Play.
CHILD Led Pace
Children that are 3 and 4 years old are not babies anymore. They can take part in experiences like cooking, building, and helping care for animals and plants. But they are not adults yet either and they run on a different clock. We have found that hiking and exploring the world at a child’s pace leads to many more discoveries and rich experiences, that we would have missed if we tried to rush them. This is part of how Wait-A-While got its name. It’s okay to slow down and be present in the moment and not always rushing. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Patience is one of the key ingredients to working with young children. They are just learning and figuring things out. We are here to help them and must provide a safe and caring environment for them to do so.
Goals and Outcomes
Our goals for this program are to have children outside for a minimum of 75% of the time they are in our care. Of course this will be dependent on environmental factors along with the individual child, this isn’t Ultimate Survivor Preschool. To reach this goal we have many traditional day care areas set up outside including a hammock village for nap time and an outdoor classroom with log seating.
Children who participate in this program will get to take part in daily walking field trips to help care for animals at nearby farms. They will also get to participate in weekly field trips to nearby nature areas such as Riveredge Nature Center or Cedarburg Bog. We believe when these children leave our playschool they will be prepared for school academically, but more importantly take with them self confidence, love for nature, and great memories.