Daily Routines. Individual Attention.

Documenting children’s work is central to the Explore+Discover mission. For many parents this is a new way of understanding school life and what their child is doing every day. Through documentation, teachers focus on observing children closely, developing a deep understanding of their work and who they are, and finding ways to honor and present their school experience to parents. Documentation may focus on a single child, a small group or the whole class. It usually incorporates photographs, artifacts, words of the children if they are verbal and teacher interpretation. Who is the child, why is this meaningful, what are they learning, are all the subjects of documentation.br Each week parents receive documentation Via daily updates using Brightwheel. Sometimes your child will be featured and other times it might be a friend. Parents will always learn something new about the life of the classroom, and be encouraged to talk about what is going on. Documentation can be eye opening and provide parents with new insights into their children’s personalities, abilities, and interests.

Growing Together. Sharing Achievements.

Our staff also prepares a personal record of each child’s development and to plan for what comes next. This intimate, detailed understanding of the child enables teachers to write comprehensive reports charting a child’s growth and giving parents a very clear picture of life in the center. Parent-teacher dialogues in the fall and spring semester are opportunities to communicate more formally about the child’s progress.
The documentation and reporting process includes:
  • Teacher reflections on sharing learning moments
  • Onsite bulletin boards revealing curriculum experiences
  • Parent-teacher conferences
  • Newsletters sent throughout the year
  • Portfolios for storing children’s work over the year
  • Formal assessments that identify developmental milestones