Philosophy

Our philosophy of education is based on teaching the whole child. We give equal weight to cognitive, social, physical and emotional development. These areas are intimately related. While development is never evenly paced in the four areas, to emphasize one over the other would be to cheat our children from achieving full potential. This philosophy is put into practice in many ways, which we will describe briefly.

In relation to cognitive development, we believe children learn best by doing. Much of our effort centers on having children explore the world. We provide materials which they can handle themselves. Most materials are visible and accessible to the children. Children can type on real typewriters, talk on a telephone, squeeze potter's clay, mix ingredients for snack or dig and plant in the garden. For us both the process and the product are important. It is in the doing that learning takes place.

Play is children's work and we do our best to enhance it. Play involves making decisions, solving problems, exercising imagination, communicating, leading, co-operating and socializing. It is a time to acquire the social skills and the emotional development we need in adult life. We encourage their curiosity by giving them the opportunity to explore the environment, both in the school and on a variety of field trips. Chancellor Street gives every child the opportunity to enjoy playing in a safe, positive and enriched atmosphere.

As a co-operative, we dedicate ourselves to the philosophy of home and school working together. Not only are we receptive to, but we also depend upon an exchange of ideas between our families and the school.

Parents play a vital role in the life of the school. Each parent assists in the classroom and holds another job related to the co-op. The families of the co-op become a community, too, and it is our goal that the parents, like the children, come to make friends, share and learn from each other.

Chancellor Street is dedicated to extending the horizons of our children and ourselves. We are open to every race, creed and ethnic group. (We offer scholarships as part of our community involvement.) During most of the school day, the age groups are mixed, as in a real family, so that the children may give and receive help from each other. It is often our good fortune to have foreign students join in our family. Through these associations we learn about each other's cultures, customs, languages and foods. We all benefit from stretching ourselves to understand and respect others.

We want children to learn about themselves as well as others. Thus, our children are offered a choice of activities each day. They are encouraged to choose an activity and conclude that activity before moving on. This decision-making process allows children to discover their preferences and style of learning, to work in small groups, make friends, take directions, to be in a quiet spot, or join an active game. We have arranged the environment into separate areas such as a large muscle movement area, a small manipulative area, book corner, art area, wood working shop, etc., to clarify the choices the children make. This environment, along with the playground and nutritious snacks, also enhances physical development.

We believe Chancellor Street offers a unique pre-school experience for your child. The energy and commitment parents give to their children's education make it possible.