Our 4 Core Values
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
– Nelson Mandela
Love
“Our capacity to love is awakened in us through having received love from others.” – James Baraz
More than a childcare center, Four Square is a family overflowing with genuine love. We are committed to each other and accepting of others. Together we are stronger, and that strength allows us to maintain an environment that is worthy of a child, one where they belong. The feeling of belonging contributes to inner well-being, security, and identity. At Four Square, children know that they are accepted and loved for who they are and not for what they do.
Love and affection are essential to a child’s healthy brain development. If their needs are met with empathy, guidance and love, and nurtured by a close connection, their brain oozes with love hormones that help the brain regulate and produce the conditions ready for learning. Love actually helps GROW a child’s brain!
Self-Discovery
“I am convinced that when we help our children find healthy ways of dealing with their feelings, ways that don’t hurt them or anyone else, we’re helping to make our world a safer, better place.” -Fred Rogers
Childhood is a time for children to seek and make meaning of the world and themselves. At Four Square, building a healthy sense of self is one of our top priorities. Through the process of self-discovery, children gain a healthy self-esteem allowing them to appreciate their own self-worth and importance, take responsibility for their actions, as well as show respect and care for the world and everything in it.
Conscious Discipline is the social-emotional component to our curriculum, and the strategy we use at Four Square. We teach children to name their emotions, regulate them, and then solve problems. This starts with our ability to offer empathy when a child is in a state of upset. Conscious Discipline empowers us to be conscious of brain-body states in ourselves and children. This approach then provides us with the practical skills we need to manage our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Four Square teachers actively look for the greatness in each child and each moment, providing positivity, support, empowerment, and love. We focus on what the children are doing right with the goal of helping each child become the best version of themselves. As a result, children have a positive outlook, accept themselves, take appropriate chances and feel confident.
By using love and respect, and setting clear and consistent rules, a toe over the line is a toe over the line, we help children develop self-control, make decisions that are socially responsive, and express their feelings in acceptable ways. We use language that is intentional and purposeful when communicating the successes we are seeing, with a goal to have the children more interested in not breaking the rules. Children learn they are a successful person who can learn and behave vs. promoting behave and learn so you can be a successful person.
Four Squares foundational THREE RULES:
Be KIND to others
Be KIND to yourself
Be KIND to objects
Environment
“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.” – Stephen Moss
Good character is built from good values. At Four Square, we believe that moral development can and should be nurtured from birth. Children naturally care about the world they live in. They want to belong. They want to do right. They want to make a difference. Every day we are reminded of a child’s big and pure heart motivating us to cherish and preserve that precious gift.
We understand it is the learning environment that fosters this precious gift, both inside and outside, as well as, determining the success and motivation of the child to achieve. Classrooms are nature inspired and themed around the Fruits of the Spirit to teach the importance of growing together in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! Days are thoughtfully planned and carefully organized to support children’s development. The culture is inclusive and welcoming while promoting social interaction and collaboration among children, encouraging them to work together to solve problems and learn new concepts. The space is flexible and adaptable ensuring that the changing needs of the children are met.
The design of our outdoor play yard moves beyond an approach that prioritizes gross motor play to one that offers a variety of play opportunities; creative, imaginative, cooperative and theatrical. As an alternative to catalog- based equipment, our open-ended landscape play allows children to find and satisfy their own developmental and play needs, offering accessible play opportunities for children of all physical and developmental levels. We desire to instill an awe and appreciation of our Earth while they play.
Four Square’s Environment:
Safe & Supportive– We promise to do our part in creating a space where children feel safe, secure, and confident. Children are encouraged to explore their surroundings, take risks, and learn through play and other hands-on activities. Teachers/adults are responsive to the child’s needs through positive reinforcement for their efforts and progress, meanwhile building up the children to feel accepted, valued, and cared for.
Opportunities for Play & Exploration– Play provides children the opportunity to discover, explore, and learn about their world, practice new skills, and express their creativity and imagination. While building their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, children can feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their achievements, overall boosting their self-esteem and confidence.
Developmentally Appropriate Activities– The activities we provide are tailored to the specific needs, interests, and abilities of the children at each stage of development. These activities are designed to be challenging, yet achievable, promoting physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development.
Learning
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” – Albert Einstein
Kindergarten readiness means being socially, emotionally, and academically ready. Four Square is passionate about promoting curiosity in our kids from birth to school age and beyond as we believe it is the underpinning of learning and is always a top priority in our academic approach. That curiosity plays a critical role in becoming lifelong learners. The more curious a child is, the more eager they are to learn!
Our play based, whole child-centered approach promotes the deepest kind of learning and growth, morally, socially, emotionally, physically, and academically. We encourage kids to become self-directed learners who explore, communicate, collaborate, problem solve and make wise choices as they continue to discover more about themselves and the world around them. Our carefully selected monthly themes provoke creativity and child exploration outside and inside the classroom.
Values we have identified as a focus in our curriculum: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, courage, determination, grateful, flexibility, helpfulness, cooperation, responsible, positivity, acceptance, team work, forgiving, empathy, creativity, curiosity, strength, citizenship, respect, growth mindset, & honesty .
Holistic Worldview
Inside our curriculum there are stories read and songs sung from the bible, mainly around Christian holidays we celebrate, such as Easter and Christmas. We pray as a group for others, as well as before meals. Four Square teaches a variety of holidays from around the world, hoping to expose the children to a variety of cultures and traditions in other countries.