"Is it really so much that a child needs? The right to have space and time for exploration, so that each can grow at its own rhythm and become part of society in a natural way...to feel what they feel, to have their experiences accepted as valid, and to be responded to in their own context...to live lives that are their own, not someone else's...the right to have happy parents, whom society accepts and values."
*Let's Look at Kids, Leila Berg, Penguin Books
NYAD believes each child is competent, capable, curious and rich in potential. Our goals for the children are consistent with the Ministry of Education's pedagogy. In NYAD, each child is an individual with his or her own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. This special uniqueness is to be fostered through experiences that allows each child to develop a sense of self and well-being; promoting their capacity for self-care and self-regulation skills; enabling the child to explore the world and form conclusions that are true to themselves. It is crucial that children like and respect themselves and that they feel loved and valued by the people around them. They need to have a sense of belonging or connectivity with others and to feel able to assert themselves and follow their urges to explore, discover, master and create. In NYAD, the child has the opportunity to follow her/his own curiosity, to choose her/his own activities and to make her/his own decisions. S/he learns about her/himself and others by actively engaging in their world and through the sharing and evaluating of ideas, materials and space. Play is a child's job...a very serious activity that allows her/him to try on roles and emotions, experiment with objects in every conceivable manner and use materials in the most creative ways. No two people visualize a snowman, a tree, a house, or a dinosaur walking, exactly the same. Each one of us interprets the world in her/his own way. Therefore, a child's art is her/his own statement, not a copy of the teacher's or classmates. Techniques and skills can be learned but creativity cannot. Creativity is there from birth, ready to be uniquely expressed and heard, developing the complex skill of communication as the child flourishes. Creativity and learning thrive within NYAD while there are rules to be followed and limits to be respected for the safety and well being of all those in the centre. Our aim is to provide a loving, responsive, stimulating, non-pressured, high quality program to meet the needs of the child and her/his family; which promotes supportive and positive interactions between the children, educators, families and the surrounding community.
