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Heath
Village
Home
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Programs...
INTERGENERATIONAL
PROGRAM
The Friendship
Center is an intergenerational child care facility that incorporates senior citizens from Heath Village,
the adjacent retirement
community,
into its child care programs. Senior volunteers assist the center's
professional staff by teaching Bible stories and foreign languages, conducting nature walks, providing musical accompaniment, reading
stories, and supervising craft and woodworking projects. Heath Village residents join with the children for special
events and holiday celebrations, and pair off with them to be pen
pals. Most
important, the Heath Village residents who share in the Friendship
Center's activities bring their maturity and love of children to help create
a warm, caring Christian environment, giving your child the
feel of a large extended family.
Our programs are
developmentally age appropriate and are designed to foster
self-confidence, improve competence in self-help skills, and develop those
language abilities and inner controls necessary for effective social
interaction. We stress the process of learning and discovery to prepare
the child for the many and varied learning situations he or she will
encounter throughout life. We attach equal importance to emotional,
physical, social and intellectual development.
A center for learning, a
community, a family... The Friendship Center is all of these
things.
ART
PROGRAM
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The art program encourages art appreciation through hands on activities
that reflect the "process art" theory, an
exploratory process of teaching rather than producing a
product from patterns or pre-drawn forms. |
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BIBLE
PROGRAM
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The Friendship Center operates on
Christian principles. Stories from the Bible will be
introduced periodically to reinforce the importance of moral
and ethical values. We use these teachings and resources in ways that
are both developmentally appropriate for young
children and that promote tolerance and good will towards persons of all backgrounds and beliefs. Prayers are said
before meal times.
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COMPUTER
PROGRAM
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The Friendship Center uses computers at all levels to enhance
cognitive skills. The children learn to
operate language and math programs, as well as to use fantasy and adventure
programs for play. |
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DANCE
PROGRAM
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Dance is offered at the Friendship Center for an additional
fee and is held once a week. |
Rhythmic Dance - For the three-year-old
This is a combination of kiddie rhythmics (running, hopping, jumping,
skipping, and galloping) all set to music, song, and dance with
mime, balance and basic tumbling techniques.Introduction
to Dance
An introduction to various first
steps in dance that combines creative movement, jazz, and ballet,
and is designed
especially for the four-year-old.
Ballet/Jazz
A more intense program for five year olds. Featuring new steps
and combinations.
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FIELD
TRIPS
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Seasonal field trips for
both enjoyment and educational purposes are planned throughout the
year. The children and staff are transported by the Heath Village
van.
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FOREIGN
LANGUAGE
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The Friendship Center offers Spanish as a second language to the
four and five-year-olds. The foreign
language program helps children to increase their range of communications, gain knowledge of customs and
develop a spirit
of broad human tolerance.
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HEALTH CARE
VISITS
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The children have monthly scheduled
dates to visit the Clarence Sickles Health Care Center and
Day Break
(adult day care center nearby). Children benefit from these visits
as they develop increased social skills toward adults and seniors. |
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KINDERGARTEN
PROGRAM
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Our kindergarten is a whole language classroom. It is
one in which all of the students are actively involved in the
integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. We are committed to
keep language natural so that is learned for its original purpose
- to express and receive ideas.
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Children learn best when language
arts, reading, writing, listening, speaking, math, science, and
social studies are interconnected.
Our kindergarten program is open to any child
in the community who will be five years of age by October 1st. of
that beginning school year.
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MUSIC
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The goal of the music program is to encourage music
appreciation. A retired senior plays the piano once a week for
"group music". The teachers will provide music daily as
part of their scheduled activities.
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NATURE
TRAIL
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The Friendship Center children can take walks
around Heath Village
(the adjacent retirement community) and on their nature
trail. A nature walk to observe the seasonal changes
is conducted periodically by senior residents of Heath Village.
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PEN
PAL
PROGRAM
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Each Friendship
Center child is assigned a pen pal who is a retired senior
from Heath Village. They correspond frequently and come
together to enjoy special events.
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SPEECH
SCREENING
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Free speech screening is available. A professionally certified speech pathologist
will screen children after their parents sign a permission form.
Results of the screening will be given to parents. |
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WOOD SHOP
PROGRAM
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A semester of wood shop is offered to our
four and five-year-olds. They meet
with retired seniors at the Heath Village wood shop
and work together on a project. The retired seniors work closely with them
and teach them about tools and safety.
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