THE PYC PHILOSOPHY

Each child is a unique Child of God, with individual gifts, interests and abilities. At Faith, our programs recognize that children develop on their own individual schedules and are all “smart” in different ways. Our goal is to nurture each child's intellectual, physical, social and spiritual growth through part-day enrichment programs.

Faith PYC students expand their knowledge and understanding of the world and of themselves through interactive exploration and discovery.
Our Christ-centered curriculum provides developmentally appropriate academics that include early learning skills in math, language, science, Bible, art, music and motor development.

Language arts, science and early mathematical skills develop through meaningful conversations, productive play, hands-on nature study and art experiences. Children also learn through dramatic play experiences, children's literature, picture journals, group sharing times and music opportunities.

Discovery:

Our developmental, child-centered program allows children to discover the joy of learning and the connected worlds of friendship, nature, self-expression and listening. Our daily routines of indoor and outdoor free-play, art, snack-time, and group times for stories and music, provide a predictable framework within which children can feel safe and secure as they explore new relationships, new materials, new feelings and new ideas.

Faith PYC is a safe, warm and nurturing environment where learning is exciting because learning is discovering--the child's own discoveries.

Godly Play:

In addition to the academic and social curriculum, Faith offers a strong, appropriate Christian studies curriculum. In 2006, through generous gifts from members of our congregation, we began fully implementing our version of "Godly Play" using the manipulatives and storytelling techniques developed by Jerome Berryman. This weekly "chapel" time has become a hallmark of our program.

To learn more about Godly Play, you might enjoy their website.

Our Beginnings...

Programs for Young Children (PYC) began in 2002, when the congregation at Faith Lutheran Church decided to develop an outreach to families and children in O'Fallon through preschool programming. Services have expanded over the years to include playgroups for toddlers and their caregivers as well as parent education & support for families with children ages 0-3 via Baby TALK, a family support program which includes home visits with developmental activities and screenings.

Our curriculum model achieves the Goals and Standards for Young Children issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Illinois Early Learning Standards Many of the ISBE’s goals are derived from “The Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood.” For the research basis for The Creative Curriculum, see research. Over the years, the staff has implemented project based curriculum strategies, deriving curriculum from the interests of the children. This means that curriculum activities change from year to year and from group to group, while the goals and standards met remain the same. Please click here for more information about how The Creative Curriculum appropriately helps children to meet goals and standards.

Our activities and educators make Faith PYC an inviting place for children to form a strong foundation for school readiness and Christian character. Upon leaving our school, children are better able to make appropriate choices and sound decisions and have developed emotional security, independence and a sense of worth through God’s love.

Licensing: Faith Lutheran PYC meets or exceeds the safety standards set by Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). As a church preschool, we are exempt from day care licensing requirements. Fire, health and safety requirements must be met as well as class size and supervision ratios to receive approval for preschool operation through DCFS. We meet Illinois State Fire Marshall approval and have met Health Department standards.

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