Who We Are
Welcome to Community Childhood Learning Place, an educational and care program serving the children of Castine, Blue Hill, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Orland, Bucksport, and Brooksville ages 4months - 5years with an after school program for Pre-K to 5th grade students. Our program runs daily from 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., Monday through Friday. Licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services as well as involved in the review process to receive accreditation through National Association for the Education for Young Children.
Our days are filled with exploration and problem solving as the children learn, develop skills, and broaden their understanding of their environment through the Reggio Approach curriculum. The framework for the curriculum is the Maine Early Childhood Guidelines. Each child is assessed using an evaluation observation form designed to include 72-objectives in core curriculum areas that are reviewed with parents twice a year. We are also excited to offer an after school program and summer camp experience for children up to 12-years-of-age that focuses on STEAM.
Community Childhood Learning Place provides quality and positive interactions through a play-based discovery approach to learning using the environment to build a strong foundation for your child and to enhance the potential of each child. The Community Childhood Learning Place environment was designed by Mohr Architect to provide a secure interactive flow to create curiosity and creativity in children's interactions and learning. The art room serves as our core. Projects in symbolic languages can be started and worked on over days, weeks, or months. The room is flooded in light, encouraging cognitive development.
S.T.E.A.M.
STEAM is a teaching methodology that uses the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics to engage and encourage children's inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking skills. Instead of treating each area as an isolated topic, STEAM combines areas and allows the students to develop stronger creative problem solving skills. Our staff in the after school program offer weekly STEAM challenges for the students to solve either individually or within a group setting.
To see some of the challenges our after school students have taken on in the past, check out our gallery
The Reggio Emilia Approach
Our curriculum is an emergent curriculum based on the Reggio Emilia Approach. Centered around the image of the child, our teachers observe the children interacting with the environment, ask questions, and enhance and guide learning using a variety materials and equipment in the teaching environment. Through the use of natural materials, paint, chalk, crayons, clay, drama, music, and light table the children will develop knowledge and skills about topics related to their interests. The indoor and outdoor learning environment revolves around the child and is enhanced by community trips.
For more about the Reggio Emilia Approach visit the Reggio Emilia website.