Marine Corps Child Development Programs has adopted our philosophy and guidelines pertaining to the appropriate practices for young children from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Our program believes that a quality early childhood program should provide a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of young children.  We use their play as an indicator of their mental, physical and social growth.  Therefore, child-initiated, child-directed and teacher-supported play is the essential component of a program that is developmentally appropriate.

We first consider what is age appropriate and apply this to our curriculum which is broken down to service the different age groups.  Age appropriateness refers to the predictable sequences of growth and change that occur as children grow.  Having the knowledge of these typical growth patterns gives us the framework from which we can prepare the learning environment and plan appropriate experiences.  These experiences should match the children's developing abilities. That is our goal when planning our curriculums.

We also consider what is appropriate for each child within the group.  Each child is unique and may have his/her own pattern for growth. We individualize the program so we meet individual and group needs.

Our curriculum then is a realistic one because we understand and believe strongly in appropriate practices.  Children's learning takes place through stimulating play. Play that allows the child to be expressive and as an  individual will promote good self-esteem.  Play also allows for cooperation between others which promotes social development.  It is also true that much of young children's learning takes place when they choose or direct their own play activities.  This concept gives them a sense of success that they were involved in the decision making and/or problem solving.  Child Development Programs realizes the importance of our job which is helping children to begin to see themselves as good learners in all areas.

Play should also be concrete, real and relevant to their young lives.  We consider the child's process of learning to think and to reason.  The word "cognitive" actually means "to come to know."  This is a good way to describe young children becoming acquainted with their surroundings.  Children are naturally curious, eager to explore and anxious to figure out how things work. We believe in building on this natural curiosity to promote cognitive development.  We do this by providing opportunities for children to use all their senses for exploring, to help children feel good about expressing their own creative ideas and solving their own problems. This enhances the thinking and learning process. Children need these years of developmental play with the real world and symbols such as letters and numbers.  Throughout early childhood, children's concepts and language gradually develop to enable them to understand more abstract information.

Our philosophy is to meet the needs of the children at each developmental stage. It is wonderful to observe the children learning under appropriate conditions.  We see them succeed much more often than we see them fail.  Allowing a young child to grow and develop through these stages will build a strong foundation for a successful primary school experience.
Know you know our intent, lets get into what you really came for.
 

UNDERSTANDING OKINAWA CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER  AND HOW THEY CAN HELP YOU

 
 

CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER PHOTO GALLERY

 
 

TYPICAL HOUR OF OPERATIONS AND RESERVATION PROCESS

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO USE THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS ON OKINAWA

SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN

WHAT IS IT GOING TO COST - FEES AND CHARGES

MEALS AND SNACKS

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