Our Philosophy

The Gathering Place recognizes the foundational importance (home, school, and church) of the early preschool years in shaping and molding the heart, mind and soul of a child. Our aim is to inspire each child with a passion for learning and build positive foundational memories while providing opportunities that encourage each child to grow to their fullest potential.
Our Christian early educational environment is based on foundational biblical truths which emphasize the importance of developing Christian character and values such as loving God, themselves and others. Our developmentally appropriate curriculum is taught, caught, and seen throughout the day in a dynamic, safe and nurturing interactive environment. Our focus is not to just talk about God's love, but for the children and families we serve to experience God's love in tangible ways.

Our teachers are more then "facilitators of learning." They "touch" the children's hearts as well as their minds. They serve as loving guides and models to the children in the wonderful process of learning through relationship building. They strive to prepare the children with the skills, abilities and motivation that will help them to understand, appreciate and live a Christian life in this world in which God has placed them.

Our teachers set the tone for the learning process by providing structured and unstructured activities, indoor and outdoor events, daily routines, and timely teachable moments. They provide an environment that is safe, healthy, inviting and well maintained while balancing rest and activity. Structured activities such as art projects over time, center time for curriculum subjects, small group activities and lunch include the routines that provide stability and familiarity necessary for young children, as well as learning activities that connect to them to developmentally appropriate learning goals.

The Gathering Place's Curriculum is carefully designed to:

1. Provide opportunities that inspire the child's spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth and development and communicate assessment and evaluative information to the families we serve.
2. Address the differences in learning styles, abilities and interests of young children by engaging a variety of teaching methods and coordinating the efforts of teachers towards developmentally appropriate practices.
3. Create a balanced approach that recognizes the importance of how children learn (the process) and not just what children learn (the end result). For example, we have incorporated an academically thorough and balanced literacy program that takes into account that children learn primarily through play, fantasy, interactive learning experiences and repetition.
4. Simplify complex concepts and break them down into manageable steps.
5. Support the primary role that parents play in a child's life.