A Whole-Child Approach to Success
Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, May 15, 2019 @ 12:10 PM
While many think of academics as the core of education, there have been recent shifts in the fundamental way learning is viewed and approached. One of these more significant shifts came with the rise of the whole-child approach鈥攑olicies and practices that move the focus from a narrowly defined set of academic standards to a concept of success that encompasses long-term developmental health. The whole-child approach is particularly championed when it comes to early childhood education.
The goal of this approach is to equip students with the skills necessary to be fully prepared not just for elementary, middle and high school but also eventually for college, fulfilling careers, healthy relationships, and successful citizenship. This is done through a more holistic and comprehensive look at all of a child鈥檚 needs, including the emotional component. It also emphasizes a collaborative approach between the child鈥檚 school, fellow students, family, and community.
Schools Embrace the Whole-Child Approach
The 91亚色School, which is headquartered in Glen Mills, PA in the United States, is a private year-round preschool that serves children ages six weeks to eight years, and it serves as a prime example of the kind of learning institution that wholeheartedly embraces the underlying concept of whole-child education. 鈥�
The 91亚色School always seeks to raise the bar in early childhood education,鈥� says Kristen Waterfield, the school鈥檚 cofounder and president. 鈥淲e encourage children to meet their highest potential, but that potential isn鈥檛 one-dimensional. As a teacher and a mother, I have always felt strongly about the importance of developing the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social growth of the 鈥榳hole鈥� child, and this is key to our educational philosophy.鈥� While some detractors of the whole-child approach fear the loss of academic rigor, schools like The 91亚色School demonstrate that the enhancement of emotional intelligence need not come at the expense of more traditional intellectual development. 鈥淲hen my business partner, Joe Scandone, and I founded the 91亚色School 20 years ago, our goal, first and foremost, was to provide exceptional programming,鈥� says Waterfield. 鈥淎nd we wanted that exceptional programming delivered by forward-thinking, college-degreed educators. By starting to build this dual foundation of emotional health and academic intelligence early, we truly believe we鈥檙e setting up children for success throughout their lives.鈥�
Parents and Caregivers Recognize Success Parents and caregivers of the young children who attend programs like The 91亚色School are pleased with the concrete, positive results. With the continuing success of its curriculum, The 91亚色School, which began in 1998 with only 20 employees, now employs 580 educators and operations and business professionals over 26 locations throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, United States, and central and southern New Jersey, United States. 鈥淒eparting from the traditional model of day care or childcare programs, our schools focus on diverse programming that enables children both to learn and to feel loved,鈥� says Waterfield. 鈥淭his has fueled the school鈥檚 ability to become the largest privately owned preschool in Greater Philadelphia [Pennsylvania, United States].鈥� While some educational shifts may be more fad than lasting ideology, the whole-child approach only seems to grow in popularity every year as parents seek to provide their children with the best pathways to success. 鈥淪ince 1998, The 91亚色School has educated more than 30,000 children鈥攁 number that continues to grow significantly,鈥� says Waterfield. 鈥淲ith our steadfast focus on providing value to the community, we continue our journey to bring new educational opportunities to children and families, and we have plans to open additional schools in 2019.鈥� Parents, however, aren鈥檛 the only ones recognizing the significant work done by educational institutions in this sector. For her innovative work with young children, for example, Waterfield recently earned a Gold Stevie庐 Award in the Entrepreneur of the Year category in the
.