Children’s Center Philosophy of Learning
We recognize each child as a unique individual with unlimited potential. We value the rights of each child as a member of our community, validating their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. We encourage children to exercise their right to make a choice in situations that don’t endanger themselves or others, focusing on safety, property, and rights.
We believe that children learn best through play and hands on experiences provided throughout each day. We value social and emotional learning; defined as the ability to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. We know that social and emotional learning is the foundation of all other learning so we focus our energy on developing each child’s social and emotional competence. We believe in the value of the family-school connection and know that parents are a child’s first and best teacher. We strive to work collaboratively with family members to ensure the success of their child in early childhood and beyond.
About the Center
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Children's Center opened August 2009. It is located on the eastern side of City Campus at 2225 "W" Street and provides care year round. The Children's Center serves faculty, staff, students and the community of Lincoln. Full-time care is provided for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years of age. The Center opens daily at 7:00 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m. The rates vary for students, faculty staff and the community.
Creative Curriculum is used to plan and assess for a developmental education for the children. The curriculum starts in the infant room and continues throughout the preschool program. The interests of the children are used for the planning of activities in the classroom. Children learn better if they are directly involved in the choices they have in the classroom. It is the teacher’s job to plan activities to engage the minds of their children in daily activities. Children are seen as an individual when they take their journey of learning. The teachers use observations to access the child’s abilities. They then seek to move the child further in their cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Children learn with hands on activities that have been purposely planned out.
Outside time is a key element of our curriculum. Children will go outside each day. Therefore they need to have the appropriate clothing to wear. If the weather is not the best we will limit our time outside, but we will still go out. The fresh air and physical movement are very important for children.
The Children’s Center is a very diverse community. Children from many different countries come together to learn. It is the goal of the center to educate children about the wonderful aspects each of them has to offer. It is also our goal to teach a child to respect others and themselves. We encourage children to share about their family traditions and cultures.
The center is separated into three families. Each family has an infant, toddler, and preschool room. Children stay in their family as they move up in the center. The teachers in the families work together as a team to have smooth transitions from room to room. Children will visit the other rooms in the family and the teachers will also visit the other classrooms.
If you are interested in additional information about the center and a tour of the center, call Callie Wilhite at (402) 472-2009. If you want to add your child to the waiting list, use this form.