How My Spanish Village - Walnut Creek Preschool Becomes a First, but not Last Safe Place to Dream big.

A small building with bright paint and small chairs can make My Spanish Village - Walnut Creek preschool seem rather small, but to a child it is an enormously bigger object. It is the first door that they enter without holding the hand of a parent throughout. It is the initial room where their thoughts are stretching their legs. It is the place of grand aspirations in small sneakers.

To most families, the initial drop-off is like being at the periphery of a swimming pool. The child grips tight. The parent smiles bravely. The unspoken consensus is in the air: You will be alright. A good preschool realizes that instant. It treats it gently. It transforms nerves into wonder.

A secure environment to have big dreams does not occur by chance. It is nourished by habit, constant voices, and rooms that are purposefully set up.

Friendly Welcome That Makes One Feel Home.

The reading speed of children is higher than that of adults. They notice the tone. They sense tension. They know if a smile is forced.

In a considerate pre-school, the mornings are smooth sailings. A teacher kneels to eye level. "Good morning. I'm glad you're here." There is weight in that mere sentence. It informs the child that he or she is important. It informs them that their presence is different in the room.

The space itself speaks. Light through wide windows. Art taped at child height. Cubbies with pictures on them so that all who are not yet able to read can read. Nothing feels off-limits. Nothing feels fragile. A child does not have to hear that he or she cannot touch something every two minutes.

Comfort builds courage. The brain of a child changes its defense to discovery when the child feels safe. They cease scanning dangerously, and begin scanning pictures to figure out how.

Twelve Things a Teacher Wants You to Know but Is Too Polite to Say.

Young children do not necessarily justify their feelings using pure sentences. They end up crying because of a wrong colour cup. They trample because somebody took over the place. Below those storms are tales.

Good preschool educators are listening to such u-spoken tales. They sit down and tell me what has happened. They wait. Silence can be powerful. A child is taught that it is possible to hear his voice.

Listening develops confidence. When a child says: I want to make a rocket, and a teacher says: What will your rocket be? The dream grows legs. Boxes made of cardboard are flying crafts. Aluminium foil becomes control panels. The room becomes a rocket ship.

It is always about one dreaming big that starts with the individual taking small ideas seriously.

Liberty Within Easily Recognizable Limits.

Safety does not mean chaos. As a matter of fact, definite boundaries will turn children bolder.

A preschool which turns out to be a secure place to dream big has routine schedules. Snack time follows play. Clean-up is followed by story time. Children lapse into that beat. They know what happens next. The day feels steady.

Rules are short and clear. "We use gentle hands." "We walk inside." These are not cages, these are guardrails. Within such lines, the imagination is turned rampant.

A child who is painting at an easel can paint without the fear of being reprimanded for messing the colors. A team that is building a tower can argue, negotiate and make another attempt. They are taught that they make mistakes but this is not a cause to be ashamed.

During one afternoon, two children can disagree on which of them gets the largest block. Voices rise. A teacher steps in. I can just find a way to make both of you happy. It sounds simple. It is powerful. The task of problem solving becomes a routine. Later that skill is needed to accomplish big dreams.

Play That Sparks Big Thinking.

Play is serious business. It is as though giggles and glitter, but it exercises the mind silently.

Play is the laboratory in a pre-school classroom. A kid pouring water and sand together is experimenting with physics but is not aware of the word. The other child who is lining patent animals is learning patterns. A group that is playing the role of a grocery store is practicing math and language.

Open-ended materials matter. Instruction-free blocks. Clay without a model to copy. Costume items that make every person a pilot, a baker, or a dragon. Children go to extremes when there is no correct answer.

One of the boys once said, "I am making a bridge over elephants. The structure wobbled. It fell. He frowned. One of the teachers inquired, What will make it stronger? He examined the foundation, and inserted broader blocks, and again. The bridge held. His grin said everything. That was larger than wood and plastic. It was resilience in action.

It is where trial and error are safe that dreams grow.

As the Building Block of Emotional Safety.

A child cannot dream of flying to the moon before he/she feels firm on the ground.

Trust forms the basis of emotional safety. A preschool which becomes the first safe place of a child is sensitive to feelings. It has relaxing nooks with pillows in case of a break. Books of anger, sadness, joy. Emotions are not swept under the carpet.

When a child whispers that he misses his mom, it is responded kindly. "It's hard to say goodbye." After story time she will come back. The feeling is acknowledged. The fear shrinks.

When children are understood, they do not fear to take risks. They volunteered to respond to questions. They try new foods. They play alongside group games rather than loitering around the sidelines.

Grand ambitions need a strong emotional foundation. In its absence, even the minor obstacles are cliffs.

Positive Coaching, Not Coercion.

The distinction between pushing and cheering exists. Children are aware of the disparity.

Within the healthy preschool, the encouragement would be as follows, e.g. You worked hard on that, instead of, You are the best artist ever. Praise focuses on effort. It builds grit.

Pressure shuts doors. Curiosity pews out when adults promote children to read young or count more quickly than they are prepared to do so. Learning becomes a race. No one dreams freely in a race.

Tags: Walnut Creek Preschool, Early Childhood Education Center, Nurturing Young Minds in a Safe Environment