Santa Fe Centers Infant Toddler Center

Santa Fe Centers prides itself in being child-focused and family centered. The developmental needs of our growing children and their families are the foundation of our thoughts and actions. Our mission is to provide warm, safe, stimulating and loving care for children from infancy through Pre-K with the support of the family.

Parents are encouraged to participate as they are able in all center activities including our parent advisory committee, individual classroom activities, site or center wide holiday happenings or just dropping by to share in their child’s day to the surprised delight of their child. The development of the parent/teacher partnership is valued as an important relationship that will benefit each child. The focus of this partnership promotes each child’s self-esteem, social skills, creativity, independence, self-care and a passion to learn. The environment we provide for all children entrusted to our care is based on the principle that children learn most effectively when they can explore and discover using materials that are of interest to them. In order to do this, the teachers view each child as an individual and facilitate children’s learning through encouragement of developmentally appropriate free choices and child-initiated play. This response to a child’s immediate interests and the teacher’s guidance through self-selected activities is imperative to active learning. We accomplish the above through a thematic curriculum that transforms our classroom centers and allows teachers flexibility to tailor experiences to meet their students’ needs. The focus of the environment is interest areas rather than content or skills to awaken the child’s innate desire to learn. As a result, each child will “bloom” at his/her own pace. By continually changing and enriching the environment throughout the year, teachers support learning and creativity thereby facilitating emerging math, science, social studies literacy through developmentally appropriate care.

The preschool classroom environment includes:

Blocks Table Toys Art Home center Sand and Water Library Outside Dramatic Play Music & Movement Cooking