About the Program:
HILL & DALE FAMILY LEARNING CENTER, INC. is a California non-profit corporation, which offers high quality early childhood education and care for children from birth to 6 years, information for parents on child development and a support system for parenting.
The Executive Director, Program Directors, Parent Education Specialists, and Teachers are experienced early childhood educators who have worked together in the Centers for several years. All staff members participate in a continuous program of in-service education and studies. This study is for professional growth and advancement in order to provide the highest quality early childhood education for your child.
Hill & Dale is open to children of all races, nationalities, and creeds who will benefit from our type of programs. We have two Centers located in Santa Monica. The space for the Centers was provided through the combined support of the City of Santa Monica and two corporations located in Santa Monica. In these Centers, we primarily serve children of parents who are residents of Santa Monica or are employed in Santa Monica.
The Infant Toddler Learning Center is open to children between the ages of birth and 3 years. The Preschool Discovery Center is a program for children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Children in the Infant Toddler Center are guaranteed a place in the Discovery Center. The transition from the Infant Toddler Center to the Preschool Discovery Center for children 3 years of age is made during the summer in groups of 6-8 children.
Mission Statement
Hill & Dale is a nonprofit corporation committed to developing and providing early education programs devoted to nurturing the individual development of children, families, and educators within the community. We do this by providing environments that promote learning through inquiry, collaboration, and play.
At Hill & Dale we believe that children, parents and educators deserve to grow and develop in inspirational environments, with nurturing and knowledgeable guidance, through relevant experiences and investigations, with rich nutrition, and with ample opportunities to develop the skills that are a foundation for their future. It is our mission to fulfill that right.
Values
• Empathy—Creating a nurturing, trustful, supportive environment based on fairness and opportunity
• Trust—Facilitating authentic expressions of ideas and feelings, along with open communication
• Cooperation—Building environments that encourage people to work together for the common good, which requires kindness, honesty and fairness
• Responsibility—Encouraging people to make their own choices and take responsibility for themselves and others in the community
• Self-Esteem—Helping individuals realize that they are competent and worthy of happiness
Philosophy and Goals
Learning takes place in the interaction between the individual and her environment. At Hill & Dale, the staff has created an environment where each child has the freedom and is encouraged to interact with the physical and social world. Through this interaction the children find out how things work, they build self-esteem by doing things for themselves, and they learn to take responsibility for their own learning.
The goal at Hill & Dale is for children and adults to believe that they have good ideas, are capable of making things happen, and are responsible for their own actions and feelings. The adults in this environment are facilitating the child's exploration by offering protection, structure, asking questions, and providing equipment.
For this environment to exist, each child must feel trust in the educators at the center. The child must see the educator as a stable and dependable force outside of his/her home. In order for this to happen, each new child that starts at the Center is "given" a educator to be her/his "special friend.” This educator stays physically close to the new child, helping the child to get turns on the equipment, to understand the rules and make transitions from one playtime to another. During this time, the parent stays in view on the playground and outside of the playroom expressing his/her approval of this new, warm adult-child relationship. We arrange the starting date of the child so the parent is able to stay with the child until the child has established a feeling of trust with her/his primary educator.
Toilet Independence Requirements:
Infant (0-18 months) & Toddler (18 months-3 years) Programs: Cloth diapering is included with the cost of tuition.
Preschool (3-5years): Children must be fully toilet learned
