The strength of ACSH schools is its educational program, based on various principles of active pedagogy inspired by the pedagogues Decroly, Montessori, Winnicott, Piaget, Emilia, and Pickler and enriched by a profound reflection on individualism.
We focus on the harmonious evolution of the child rather than on the performance to be achieved. The objectives are specific to each child who learns and develops intellectually at their own pace and in their learning style. Our educational program is forged on deep values of non-violent communication and caring.
In our child care centers, our activities are designed to respect the needs, interests, and developmental rhythm of each child we welcome. To achieve this, the educators use our tools and their knowledge of the child to accompany them individually throughout the day. Adopting this approach contributes to the child's well-being and allows them to develop. The child is therefore respected for his individual, cultural, and family differences and particularities. Even if the children in the same room are approximately the same age, their needs, and interests are different, and their developmental rhythms are unique to each child. This is why we need to know the child to offer them a welcome and activities appropriate to their own person and learning pace.
Playing is an important activity for children and occupies an important place in their lives. Through play, the child learns about himself, increases possibilities, and pushes his limits. At the child care center, the child does not play to learn but learn because they play through the pleasure they experience in trying and the environment we have created. It is, therefore, essential for us to create a sufficiently rich and varied space, designed according to the age of the children, where they will be free to explore and develop. They will have access to imitation games, fine motor skills, construction and manipulation games, creative activities, and motor courses dedicated to each age group and adjustable according to their progress. In addition, for the older children, we have planned a pre-kindergarten program whose goal is to provide them with a methodology and autonomy of work that will benefit their upcoming entry into school.
Respected and listened to, the child is encouraged to take their bearings in the child care center to acquire greater self-confidence and autonomy day after day. The child must feel like an actor in the activities and games offered by our child care center. We avoid doing things for them. We allow them to explore in complete safety. Patience and encouragement are essential. Our team members emphasize a positive attitude that supports the child in his experiences, differences, and difficulties and values his progress, which allows him to gain self-confidence and independence.
Educational benevolence is based on empathy and respect for the child and their needs, and the child's individuality is considered, as is the adult's attitude towards the child. We know children's blossoming is essential to their development, so we must support them. It is, therefore, a question of privileging the child's needs to keep his development while preserving a routine and an established framework. This is reflected in words spoken to the child (e.g., verbalization, positive communication, addressing the child individually and not to the group, etc.), in the behavior of the professionals (e.g., at the child's level, warning them of what we are going to do, letting them act, welcoming their emotions, free choice, etc.) and this in respect of the child as a unique being.
Aware that life at the child care center is an essential phase in the child's socialization, we accompany them to enable them to act in a way that respects others and their environment. We emphasize the acceptance of differences. Many activities related to the world, culture, arts... are proposed to the children each month. We help the child to find his place in the group and to learn to live with his peers. We offer a space and activities favorable to this exchange to allow the child to live this experience of sharing and meeting with others.
The parent-educator relationship is essential for us because we recognize parents as the first educators of their children. We rely on a good relationship and daily communication to collaborate and better welcome the child and their needs. To achieve this, we will focus on morning and evening transmissions, where the parent can give us information about their child to understand them better and accompany them through their day at the child care center. Parent meetings are also offered several times yearly to discuss each child's development.