Our Program
Before & Aftercare Program
School-age Adventure
Our Before and Aftercare Program begins on the first day of school and continues through the final days of the school year. Children are dropped off at the center by parents no later than 7:30 a.m., after which we safely transport them to school. At the end of the school day, children are picked up from school and brought back to the center.
We provide a well-balanced afternoon snack or supper before transitioning into homework time. During this period, children receive assistance in areas where they may need extra support and are encouraged to build strong reading habits. After homework is complete, children enjoy free time to relax, explore new interests, and engage in positive social interaction.
Summer Program
Our Summer Program is an extension of our Before and Aftercare services, designed to keep school-age children learning and growing while school is out. We welcome children ages 4 (who have completed their first year of school) through 13 years old.
During the summer, the world becomes our classroom. Children continue learning through hands-on experiences, educational activities, field trips, and lots of fun. We focus on social development by encouraging teamwork, responsibility, and confidence as children help one another, take on age-appropriate tasks, and overcome fears together. Relationship-building is central to our program, and we strive to create a family-like environment where every child feels valued and supported.
Our activities promote physical fitness through swimming, running, climbing, and active play in a variety of settings, including indoor and outdoor playgrounds, splash parks, water parks, and open fields. Children also learn about nutrition by picking fresh fruit, helping assemble meals, and being encouraged to try foods from different cultures.
Reading remains a priority year-round, as we believe strong readers can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Through exploration, shared responsibility, and daily life lessons, children grow not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well.
At Growth Spurts, every enrolled child is considered part of our family. We teach that many hands make light work, and each child plays an important role in helping our community thrive.
Creative Adventure
Creative Curriculum
Growth Spurts Child Learning Center will use the Creative Curriculum to enhance and improve the sensory, motor and language experiences which are the nucleus of the Infant and Toddler programs. The most common experience, such as playing with water, becomes an opportunity to explore with all the senses, to talk about how the water feels, to discover its properties and to interact with other children. Growth Spurts Child Learning Center will use the Creative Curriculum to enhance and improve the environments which will be structured to provide a variety of motor as well as sensory experiences.
The children in our care will be encouraged to physically master the environment as they move through the rooms and the outdoors. Specific activities involving crawling, walking, balancing, jumping and running also are planned to facilitate motor development. All areas of the room provide fine motor activities such as turning book pages, finger painting and putting together simple puzzles. Sensori- motor experiences are integrally bound to the children’s cognitive and language development.
The World Is Our Classroom
We are teaching our future leaders to resolve issues by using the resources around them. We also encourage them to learn from each other because we all want to grow and all have something to teach.
THE WORLD IS OUR CLASSROOM
From Live and Learn and Pass it ON
H. Jackson Brown
I’ve learned that….
- Most of the things I worry about never happen. Age 64
- Every great achievement was once considered impossible. Age 47
- You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. Age 7
- If there were no problems there would be no opportunities. Age 19
- It doesn’t cost anything to be nice. Age 66
- The important thing is not what others think of me but what I think of myself. Age 38
- The simplest task can be meaningful if I do it in the right spirit. Age 72
- In every face-to-face encounter, regardless of how brief, we leave something behind. Age 45
- Whenever I decide something of kindness, I usually make the right decision. Age 66
- If you spread the peas out on your plate, it looks like you age more. Age 6
- Regardless of color or age, we all need the same amount of love. Age 37
- Education, experience and memories are the three things no one can take away from you. Age 67
- Motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. Age 50
- Simple things are often the most satisfying. Age 63
- If you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering up someone else. Age 13
- Successful living is like playing the violin – it must be practiced daily. Age 70
- If you laugh and drink soda pop at the same time, it will come out your nose. Age 7
- A sunroof is worth the extra cost. Age 29
- Optimists live longer than pessimists. That’s why I am an optimist. Age 84
- Happiness is like perfume: you can’t give it away without getting a little on yourself. Age 59
- When someone hurts your feelings, it’s unimportant unless you persist in remembering it. Age 68
- There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. Age 48
- If you smile at people, they will almost always smile back. Age 81
- Homemade Toll House cookies should always be eaten while still warm. Age 29
- We grow only when we push ourselves beyond what we already know. Age 53
- Never underestimate the potential and power of the human spirit. Age 82
- Everyone has something to teach. Age 51
Alphabet Soup Sensory Bin
Stir some letters into a bin of water, and let the kids scoop them out, one at a time.
Go to the website below to get the free alphabet printable sheet for this game. Slide the letter sheet into a plastic paper protector to keep the water out. Then have children place their fished out letters onto the matching spot on their sheet.
We found this activity on planningplaytime.com
Edible Pudding Slime
- 1/4 cup instant pudding mix
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1/3 cup warm water
Add instant pudding mix and half of your cornstarch to a mixing bowl. Add 1/3 cup water and stir until slime begins to form (it will be pretty sticky at this point)
Slowly add the rest of your cornstarch, stirring as you go. When slime thickens and is hard to stir with a spoon, finish kneading by hand.
If your slime isn’t the right consistency; add a bit more water if the slime is dry, or a bit more corn starch if it is sticky.
We found this project on
https://thesoccermomblog.com/edible-pudding-slime/
- Under the bed storage tub
- A boat load of ice
- No Spill Paint Containers
- Paint (this is my favorite kind)
Dump some ice in a storage bin. Put a smock or an old shirt on the children. Give them a paint brush and some paint. And unleash their creativity.
We found this project on https://busytoddler.com/2017/03/painting-ice-cubes-activity/