For the safety of the children, and because accidents can and do happen all our staff is trained in pediatric CPR and first aid, renovated every two years (within the past two years).

We also respect an adequate caregiver-to-child ratios in the room to allow for an appropriate level of supervision:

• One adult caregiver for every 4 young toddlers (18 months to 2 years)
• One adult caregiver for every 6 older toddlers (2 to 3 years)
• One adult caregiver for every 9 preschool aged kids (older than 3 years of age)

This low staff rates allow children to develop lasting relationships with caregivers. This also demonstrates the teachers are happy at the center, and therefore more likely to treat children with warmth and positivity.

Our clients and teachers are aware of the day care's important standard procedures involving things like medication, discipline, cleaning, infection control, sick policies and proper sanitation guidelines. All our hygiene routines are written down and provided to every family so that parents and staff know what is allowed and what to expect. If you have any questions, ask!

All our clients are encouraged to observe -- before or after enrolling -- and ask questions. Every parent should feel comfortable asking any questions they have of the program director or staff to be sure that the program is a good fit for their child and family. Feel free to ask our director about our philosophy on discipline and finally, parents should take the time to observe and visit classrooms long enough to get a sense of how staff interact with the children and with each other. Parents should go with their 'gut instincts'.

Our curriculum helps children become independent, self-confident, inquisitive learners. The curriculum teaches them how to learn throughout their lives. Children will learn at their own pace and in the ways that are best for them. In doing so they develop good habits and attitudes, particularly a positive sense of themselves, which will make a difference throughout their lives.

This curriculum will enhance goals in all areas of development:

• Social: To help children feel comfortable in school, trust their environment, make friends, and feel they are a part of the group.

• Emotional: To help children experience pride and self- confidence, develop independence and self-control, and have a positive attitude toward life.

• Cognitive: Assists children to become confident learners by letting them try out their own ideas and experience success, and by helping them acquire learning skills such as the ability to solve problems, ask questions, and use words to describe their ideas, observations, and feelings.

• Physical: Helps children increase their large and small muscle skills and feel confident about what their bodies can do.

The activities planned for our children, the way the environment is organized, the selection of toys and materials, the daily schedule, and how we talk with children, are all designed to accomplish the goals of the curriculum and give your child a successful start in school.

We observe our children in the classroom to identify their interests—that is, the toys, materials, activities, and people they find interesting; the things they spend a lot of time doing, choose to do, work hard at doing; and things that make them smile, laugh, or get excited.

We provide activities and materials that match children’s capabilities and interests. During everyday classroom activities, we respond to a child’s initiations in the activity by showing enthusiasm, imitating him or her, commenting on his or her actions, or joining in his or her play. Then wait for the child to respond or interact with you or the materials again staying focused on the child’s behavior and indicators of interest.

We are aware when a child loses interest in an activity or material and changes his or her focus to something else. Shift your attention as the child shifts his or her attention to other activities or materials. By scheduling and providing concurrent classroom activities, you can accommodate individual differences in children’s interests and enable children to transition between activities as their attention and interests change.

Our teachers schedule plenty of time for child-initiated activity and play throughout the day, this way it is easier to follow their pace based on structured plans for a more smoothly daily routine.

Experienced teachers love their practice, showcase their talent in the classroom and demonstrate their dedication to their students and their profession. Teacher morale and retention and increased daycare community involvement. Pantomima recognizes the power of experienced teachers, therefore we are constantly taking steps to empower and raise the status of accomplished teachers to drive our students’ learning process.

Average developed children and children with special work together to get to a stage where they are integrated into the regular classroom. While working in the same “inclusive” environment, our teachers believe that children needs have tremendous benefits from each other, a dynamic that becomes a privilege. In fact, IDEA, or the Individuals with Disabilities Act, says that “students with disabilities should be placed in their neighborhood school with as much time as possible a general education setting.” This concept is called using the “least restrictive environment.” Children with special needs are to be educated with the general student population unless there are issues that make that goal impossible. Our teachers always make sure our children get emotionally and cognitively respected as they get the best out of our daily interaction among adults and their peers.

Some of a child’s most important cognitive development happens during their preschool years. In Pantomima we believe that by taking an active role in the early childhood education process, parents can help ensure that their child has all the support they need to develop to their full potential.

Parent involvement helps extend teaching outside the classroom, creates a more positive experience for children and helps children perform better when they are in school.

We create several moments for parents to be involved. It is essential for parents to support the learning that happens in Pantomima settings and at home as well. Parents who are in tune with what is happening in their child’s preschool classroom or child care facility are better able to establish a connection between what is learned at school and what takes place in the home. This connection is a key component of a child’s development and supporting further learning.

Not only does family or parental involvement help extend teaching outside the classroom; it creates a more positive experience for children and helps children perform better when they are in school.

When our clients understand what their child is working on at Pantomima they have a better sense of their child’s competency and which areas they need to work on to improve confidence and ability.