We like children to learn self-control. That is, control that comes from the child’s OWN self. We accept the child and interpret the behavior in terms of underlying emotions, which we will help the child to process.  We are not punitive, we do not shame children, but we encourage them to realize that their actions affect others.

We take the approach that the more rules you impose on a child, the less able the child is to function as a self-controlled and self-motivated learner. We encourage children to confront their problems and to discuss issues with other children. Aggression is a normal part of a child’s emotional being, and we work to help channel it appropriately. We do not allow children to hurt themselves or other children either by words or actions. We provide support to parents to help them during this phase while children are learning to gain self control.

Our days are structured enough to provide the children with a sense of security and order, but relaxed enough to allow for individual children to grow at their own pace. We encourage membership in the group and direct children to each other for help, so that they will become interdependent community members who seek help from and give help to each other. These skills are important social skills that will help them throughout their academic life.