Mission Statement
& Philosophy

​

Mission Statement

Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center’s professional staff will provide quality childcare and early childhood education to children, aged six weeks through twelve years of age; in Brainerd, Baxter Minnesota and the surrounding communities.

Goals

1. Attract and retain highly trained and qualified teaching staff and personnel.

 

1. Enhance the whole child’s emotional security, self-esteem, and sense of happiness that gives children the foundation they need to become well-rounded, healthy individuals, allowing them to reach their full potential while stimulating their unique individualities.

 

1. Help each child reach his or her potential in the four major areas of a child’s growth and developmental: social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive development, and spiritual being.

Values

(CREATE) a place to Play, Learn and Develop with us!

​

CURIOSITY

Our children have a natural thirst for knowledge and curiosity. We are here to harness this curiosity and use it to help develop these intelligent, curious minds and establish the foundations for young children. At Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center we strive to create a very intentional environment that encourages our children to explore, create and imagine through play. Through such play the child understands the importance of being present.

 

RESPECT

Respect is a vital part of our educational program. Our aim is to guide children in learning to treat self, others, and the environment with care, empathy, and respect.

All children have the right to an education that lays a foundation for the rest of their lives, encourages their ability, and respects their family, cultural and other identities, and languages. Developing an awareness of their being and understanding their social and cultural heritage, their gender, and their significance is what we admire holistically.

 

ENJOY

At Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center we understand that a child needs to enjoy their time away from home. Play must be enjoyable for the child and should not be forced. Through joy, children tend to be engaged and embrace the activities at hand. When children are engaged, they have the best chance of developing a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, experimentation, hypothesizing, researching, and investigating.

 

ACCEPTANCE

In early childhood settings children develop a sense of belonging when they feel accepted, develop attachments and trust those that care for them. As children are developing their sense of identity, they explore different aspects of (social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive and spiritual being), through their play and their relationships. This allows for the expression of personality and uniqueness.

 

TOGETHERNESS

Children thrive when families and educators work together in partnership to support their young child’s learning. When educators establish respectful and caring relationships with children and families, they can work together to construct curriculum and learning experiences relevant to children in their community. These experiences gradually expand a children’s knowledge and understanding of the world.

 

ETHICAL

We at Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center place a great deal of importance in creating an ethical culture. Our educators are empowered to recognize any concern that may adversely affect our children. We understand the important role that we play in caring for these children and that is why we carry out our daily duties with honesty and integrity.

 

Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs)

Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards: Birth to Kindergarten

1. are major areas of development.

 

COMPONENTS are specific areas of learning within each domain.

 

1. are consistent strands within a component across the full age-range continuum.

 

1. are expectations for observable outcomes for the child at specific ages.

 

INDICATOR NUMBERS identify the location of an indicator within the domain, component, and subcomponent.

 

The learning domains included in the ECIPs are:

1. Social and Emotional Development

2. Approaches to Learning

3. Language, Literacy and Communications

4. The Arts

5. Cognitive Development: Mathematics, Science and Social Systems

6. Physical and Movement Development

 

 

Operating Philosophy

Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center, Inc. will operate its business based on the following principles:

1. Maintain a leadership role in the childcare community and provide job opportunities to qualified personnel in our area.

2. Demonstrate corporate and community citizenship for the purpose of improving the world we live in, for future generations.

3. Create an environment where each individual employee and child feels important and has a strong sense of self-worth.

4. Conduct all aspects of the business with the highest level of integrity and ethical standards.

 

Play, Learn and Develop with us!

At Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center we strive to create a very intentional environment that encourages our children to explore, create and imagine through Play. Our educators are there to supervise, accompany and lesson plan ideas, but ultimately it is our children’s self-direction that helps them learn and grow. We aim to provide an environment that includes lots of options, objects, and activities that provides for all children based on their own interests and needs.

Play is an important development tool, and we firmly believe that it’s not the process of the Play that is important, rather that there is no end goal or correct response. Play must be enjoyable for the child and should not be forced, it is important that the child is enjoying what they are doing.

 

R.O.C.K.

Recognizing The importance of early childhood learning and development and the lasting impact it has on later success.

Our Belief Is that each child has their very own unique characteristics. We nurture this uniqueness with quality learning for each child.

Committing To a certified educational program that provides an optimum learning environment for the children enrolled at stepping stones.

Keepsake The first stepping stone experiences that capture the wonder and discovery of each individual child as a whole. We can help shape the future of our children.

 

 

 

​