Children's Center: A Loving Place to Grow

The Los Altos United Methodist Church Children's Center provides a ten month, week-day program for young children. Our developmental, play-based program provides a safe, nurturing, Christian environment. Principles of love and respect are utilized in encouraging children as they learn and grow. Children learn through experience to respect each other's rights and needs.

Our curriculum is based on the Christian belief that all people are children of God and that the diversity of races, cultures and perspectives is a gift which enriches us all. We encourage the children to play and surround them with creative opportunities for exploration and growth. During a typical day at school, the children are exposed to math concepts, letter recognition, color, music and science. They will be introduced to the wonders of literature, creative movement, gross motor activities, role-playing, cooking, and early opportunities for public speaking. Each school day incorporates both cognitive (teacher-led) exercises that develop the children's independence through practical life set-ups, fine motor, patterning, and work requiring following direction, as well as free art and activities where the children are free to express themselves through art, movement, blocks or other manipulatives. The staff is highly skilled in facilitating the students' interactions and help to build their confidence by encouraging the children to engage their friends in and through play.

LAUMC's Children's Center is not only for children. You, as parents, are an integral part of this school. You are welcome and needed here. The staff and Director are available to you for conferencing, support or simply for conversation. We also provide a Family Resource Center (FRC) which is located in the Children's Center office. Parents are welcome to use this space to browse or borrow parenting books in the lending library as well as get information about events and resources at the school and in the community. The FRC also provides a speaker series tailored to the needs and concerns of our parents, a variety of parenting groups, and guest performers for the whole family to enjoy. All of these are open to the community.

Our purpose is to nurture each child's social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development. Our program provides both structured and unstructured time each day. We believe young children need many opportunities to choose activities from a carefully prepared environment. They also need to accept times when there is not a choice. Education is not only about imparting facts and imposing schedules. Children need time to dream, think and contemplate: to make sense of and enjoy the beauty of God's world. Our rules to live by are:

Be kind to yourself
        Be kind to others
                Be careful of all creation