Inclusion

Supportive Community Learning is dedicated to providing child care services to children at all different learning levels and all different physical, emotional and cognitive abilities, all together. Our management team, combined, has over a hundred years of experience in the field of special education, behavior therapy and recreation therapy and psychology and we believe this is the way the world should be! So, we are thoughtfully crafting The Butterfly House in a way that all children can learn together.

Many wonder how we can do this. What is our secret sauce? Do we have a magic wand ? Or are we simply "special people" who have a gift for caring for all children. As a 19 year special education early childhood teacher, I often got the complement, you must have the patience of a saint. This complement always caught me off guard. For me, balancing a check book takes a lot of patience but working with small children brings so much joy. Of course, there are days that are hard but the joy outlasts the struggles. So, the secret sauce is simply a balance of our dedication to finding and embracing the joy and a series of structures and practices that give us the ability to learn and create together. By following and implementing these structures, we have freedom to be with all the children in those magic moments that happen every day in the early childhood classroom.

The Five Pillars of Inclusive Practice at Supportive Community Learning

1. Social and Communication skills are taught explicitly to all children. We also talk directly with children about individual differences and respect all children as having worth, dignity and the right to self-determination. We learn about compassion, patience, independence, rules, expectations, listening, problem-solving, and many other things by intentionally creating a classroom community.

2. We collect data and analyze data to make decisions about both group and individual learning. We embed individual learning goals into the schedule of the day so that children can learn skills using authentic practice. We document this learning of children and adults in the classroom. You will see that at the children's eye level, there are photos and artwork and information and then at the adult eye level, there is also written information and instructions.

3. We have a consistent daily routine and embrace our classroom centers as another teacher in the classroom. Our circle time and snack times have the same components every day and we carefully organize our materials.

4. We believe that curriculum is a negotiation between adults and children. We carefully consider children's interests and ideas as we pursue projects but we also provide structured play and structured literacy activities within our daily schedule as well as offering plenty of time for completely independent play. Our team is given time to plan, analyze and prepare. We believe that in order to have high quality time with children, there must also be time for children.

5. Relationships are at the center of our work and we value families. We view parents as partners in child learning and encourage you to be a part of in your child's learning and also a part of our classroom community. We are dedicated to providing time and space where we can learn from and with families. This is accomplished through parent groups, project meetings, volunteer opportunities and celebrations.