Philosophy
The philosophy of Enlighten Preschool De Anza is primarily to provide a high quality, secure, warm, caring, and sanitary environment, that promotes the emotional, social, intellectual, and physical growth of children.
we believe that each child is a "spiritual embryo," in need of an environment warm with love and rich in nourishment, like a mother’s womb, in which a child will be protected to grow and develop his or her whole personality.
We developed the “Prepared Environment,” which is designed to enable young children to attain their full capacities. This environment offers a wide range of prepared activities designed to assist children with concepts and skills. The acquisition of these concepts and skills in turn enables children to develop coordination, concentration, a sense of order, and independence, all of which increase a child’s sense of self-worth. Through the “Prepared Environment,” children are encouraged to socialize spontaneously and learn through direct manipulation and observation rather than through verbal instruction.
The two main goals of the Montessori Method are the development of character and socialization skills. Children learn to give to others, to care for others, and to serve others. They become less dependent on adult assistance and become more capable as individuals. The environment integrates the whole child, physically and socially. We encourage the child to attain his or her capacities, through order and self-discipline, in a noncompetitive atmosphere in these very formative early years.
At our center, we are committed to learning and exploring. We support the development of innate curiosity and a love of learning. We provide each child with the environment and opportunity to learn at his/her individual pace.
How Our Children Learn
We believe that the learning experience should occur naturally and joyfully at the proper moment for each individual child, as opposed to being forced to learn when they are neither interested nor ready. In a Montessori classroom, our children learn through hands-on exploration of the materials, rather than through the teacher’s lecturing and drilling.
Learning in a Montessori classroom is made possible for the children through self-choice and is founded upon individual interests. By pursing his/her individual interests, our children gain enthusiasm for learning. It is in the children’s independent and repetitive use of the hands-on materials and activities that learning takes place.
The use of the materials involves many motions: walking, carrying, pouring, speaking, and particularly the constant use of the hands. There is always a busy hum of activity in a Montessori classroom. All activity, however, is guided by respect for the teacher, respect for the work of others, and respect for the material.
Our Montessori environments offer a feast of exploration for children, of the world that extends beyond the classroom into the community and then into the real world.