Creative Curriculum and Bible Cornerstones

At Cornerstone, we use the Creative Curriculum to provide challenging learning activities to be sure that each child develops the skills he or she needs to at each age to prepare for new skills as they grow. We monitor and track the skills children acquire to be sure each one is well rounded through all five skill levels as noted below:

1 For intellectual development, we provide activities and experiences that help each child to think, to reason, to understand and comprehend, and recognize concepts and information in various forms.

2 For emotional development, we provide activities and experiences that help each child develop and express a full range of feelings (emotions), avoiding stereotyping.

3 For physical development, we provide activities and experiences that help each child develop new motor skills and practice newly acquired skills, gain coordination and control of large and small muscles. We must also provide a food program that meets the nutrition and protein requirements of children.

4 For social development, we provide activities and experiences that help each child learn to work and play together cooperatively, to respect the rights of others, to seek peaceful solutions to differences, to work alone when appropriate, and to care for his or her own personal needs.

5 For spiritual development, we provide activities and experiences that help each child learn about themselves, develop a good self‑concept and build self‑esteem (feel good about themselves), learn about God’s world and our place within the world and learn how to make good decisions about what is right or wrong.

The Creative Curriculum is a “ROAD MAP” that provides teachers the opportunity to instill structure and organization in the classroom. The assessment tools help the teachers know where each child is in their developmental process and how they can create a responsive environment in which that child can grow. Learning opportunities are provided through play and exploration. Children’s skills are strengthened and challenged during large and small group activities. The Creative Curriculum is built on theory and research and helps our staff choose lesson content that is perfect for each age and stage of child development. It lists the materials that we keep available in the classroom and what should be happening in the learning areas to promote growth. We also value the role of the family in the learning process, thus we want to be partners with parents for the benefit of each child.

We carefully observe each child’s behavior to gain insight into ways we can motivate, challenge and guide them. Our goal is to support the development of self-esteem and self-confidence resulting in the child’s ability and willingness to learn. We strive to accept each child as is, rather than judge them by what they are able to do. A combination of child initiated and teacher organized activities offer children choices and a sense of freedom as they enjoy their day at Cornerstone.

We also use a Christian curriculum, Bible Cornerstones, as a “cornerstone” is the first stone set in the construction of a building’s foundation; we believe we can help build the foundation of biblical principles in the children’s lives. Our goal is not only to instill biblical knowledge, but also a love for the Word of God.