A Child Care For…Children

Just like not all classrooms in a given school are child-centered, nor are many child care programs child-centered.

What does that mean?

​Well, if a given school-age child care program is not child-centered, what is it? Of course it is adult-centered. This means, the child care program revolves around the adults in charge and not on the children being served. Adult-centered environments tend to be one where adults require full control of the children and the environment. It is a more traditional approach to making sure the children are quiet, micro-managed and not stepping out of any prescribed boundaries such that the adults may have to monitor programs as opposed to being directly controlling of them at all times.
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Child care environments that are child-centered tend to have more creative outlets. Children get to explore, test boundaries, socialize within an age-integrated setting, engage in activities that offer them an opportunity to think, strategize, and test their creative wits, make choices, and ultimately learn through socialization and play. Free play environments are not child-centered because they offer nothing outside of unguided play. Nor are environments with overbearing adults offering little to no creative options throughout the afternoon.

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