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Lighthouse School Employment Application.
LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AND CHILD CARE CENTER
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of Lighthouse Christian School and Child Care Center is to nurture all aspects of growth in children and to provide an atmosphere that encourages families to seek a closer personal relationship with Christ.
Organization
The Pre-School is a ministry of the South Portland Church of the Nazarene as a service to the community. The administrators give overall supervision and qualified teachers staff the operation. Children are welcome to attend without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, or handicap.
Statement of Faith
We believe in God. God is a person and we can have personal and conscious fellowship with Him. God is love. He loves every one whom He has made.
We believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the son of God, the divine Word made flesh and dwelling among me.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Third person of the Godhead, that He is present and efficiently active in and with the Church of Christ.
We believe in the Bible. We believe the Old Testament and New Testaments were given by divine inspiration, revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation.
Program
At the Lighthouse School and Child Care Center, we offer the following programs to support families
Full Day Pre-School: This program is available from 6:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. and includes Pre-School curriculum with extended child care. Lunch, morning and afternoon snacks are included.
Before and/or After School Care: This program is available for parents who need before and/or after school care for their children in grades K – 2 attending public school. Parents must arrange bus transportation through their child’s school.
Curriculum
The core of our program is based on the curriculum guidelines as set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The curriculum encourages children to be actively involved in the learning process, to experience a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials, and to pursue their own activities in the context of life in the community and the world.
Developmentally appropriate activities and materials support children as individuals, with emphasis on:
* fostering positive self-concept
* developing social skills
* encouraging children to think, reason, question and experiment
* enhancing physical development and skills
* encouraging sound health, safety and nutritional practices
* encouraging creative expression and appreciation for the arts
* respecting cultural diversity
Our program is based on The Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood. The philosophy is that children learn best by doing. Therefore, careful observations and planning by teachers provide hands-on experiences in classroom Learning Centers. Our classrooms typically provide space for:
- Blocks - Sand & Water
- Dramatic play - Library
- Table Toys - Art
- Computer
The environment allows children to make choices and select activities on their own; use materials creatively, experience success through their play and responsibility in caring for the environment and materials they use. We also use the physical environment to let children know that their classroom is a comfortable place where they can explore, feel safe and learn.
Opportunity for outside play is important to your child’s growth and development. We venture outside all year long – weather permitting. This allows us to stretch our muscles, breathe fresh air, and enjoy the outdoors. Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for the physical demands of outside play. During extreme weather, children will enjoy gross motor activities in our spacious gym.
Our curriculum is further enhanced by a music program, utilizing our spacious gym. Several times each week, children will participate in a Music and Creative Movement Class. Our teachers prepare age-appropriate opportunities that allow children to move freely, practice new skills, and feel good about what their bodies can do.
Bright Beginnings
Our program uses Bible stories, songs and prayers in sharing with children the basic Christian principles about God. His love, and the world He created in which we can grow and develop. Bright Beginnings are thematic units that provide Bible stories. Each Bible story is integrated into various classroom learning centers such as math, language activities, cooking, art, science, etc.
Assessments and Parent Conferences
In conjunction with the Creative Curriculum, we assess all students using the Creative Curriculum Development Continuum. This assessment will travel with the child each year. This makes the transition from classroom to classroom as smooth as possible. The new teacher will know exactly where the child is developmentally and plan appropriately for that child. The assessment consists of 50 objectives or milestones in which most children should exhibit before entering Kindergarten. Assessments are done in the fall, winter and spring. Parent/Teacher conferences are held after the winter and spring assessments. Fall assessments create a baseline for instruction, winter assessments allows for some goal setting and spring assessment shows goals achieved. Teachers will use the assessment to not only guide their instruction for the classroom but also to but also to guide instruction for individual students. Each child will have a notebook or portfolio that will contain pictures and work samples of each year. This will also travel with each student from year to year. This is a wonderful way to see your child’s progress during their career at Lighthouse School.
We also take advantage of Child Development Services offering mass screenings in November and in February. This is a great opportunity to receive free services if your child qualifies. The CDS screening is a safety net that insures that your child is as successful as possible in major development areas.
Reading Aloud to Children
Each day stories are read to children. The time spent reading to children, both at school and at home, has long been recognized as extremely valuable in developing a child’s listening ability and language skills. Throughout the year, there are opportunities to participate in the Scholastic reading program in which low-cost books may be purchased to supplement home libraries.
Guidance
Our goal is to help children develop self-control through direction and example. We work closely with parents, keeping them informed of any concerns, soliciting their suggestions and input. We praise children for cooperative behavior and we plan an active and engaging program that helps to guide children in appropriate social interaction.
We use fairness in explaining boundaries and expectations of classroom behavior and we use consistency in helping children understand them. Our staff gives consideration to the specific needs of each child while helping them to become part of a group.
Parent-Teacher Relationships
Placing your child in our program is more than the purchase of service; it is a partnership involving mutual commitment of both parents and teachers. Please keep the teachers informed each morning of any event at home that would help the teachers better understand your child. Our school will keep you up-to-date on your child’s progress through daily notes and conversations. Each teacher has a mailbox in the foyer that enables you to write a note directly to your child’s teacher. You can also write notes to the staff each morning on the message sheet at the sign-in table.