Happy Hippo Preschool

Empirical research has clearly demonstrated that the first five years of childhood are critical to childrens long-term educational development. We also know that children who have supportive experiences and interactions in their early years will be more succesSFul in school, careers, and relationships throughout their lives.

The Happy Hippo education philosophy is based on extensive research on child development, early childhood experiences and brain research. Childrens development is holistic in the sense all learning takes place simultaneously. at Happy Hippo the whole child is taken into consideration (learning styles, developmental stages, multiple intelligences, social-emotional needs, etc). Furthermore, the ability of tranSFerring knowledge gained in one area into other needs in life is a key element in succesSFul learning. For children the ideal environment for learning is the most natural: PLAY.

The curriculum at Happy Hippo is play and thematic based so that children learn in their natural environment. An ongoing set of assessments helps teachers and staff to reevaluate the program. Our school, programs and curriculum are designed to provide children from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds with unique interactions, opportunities, and experiences that will help them reach their full potential in seven developmental domains:

1. Physical: gross motor skills (running, jumping, climbing, etc), fine motor skills (manipulating beads, holding a crayon, etc) and sensor motor (touch and feel, body awareness, etc); 2. Cognitive: mathematical (blocks and patterns) and science (cooking, critical thinking, scientific method, outdoor experience, etc); 3. Language: speaking, listening, reading and writing; 4. Creative: art, music, and dramatic play; 5. Emotional: Self-esteem; nurture, support and guidance; 6. Social: inclusion, multicultural experiences, health and safety; 7. Spiritual: a form of Higher Power

We use the California Department of Education Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) as our tool for assessment of each child in the according developmental areas above. Happy Hippos classrooms are set up based on the criteria established for the highest possible score on Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) rubric.

These seven areas are interrelated in 3 main areas at Happy Hippo:

Identity and Autonomy: The development of the individual self, acknowledgement and understanding of the differences and similarities among people, cooperation in group work and success in meeting the needs of a common goal.

Communication and Representation: Self-Expression and the ability to use various means of communication for social interaction and to express ideas, feelings and thoughts. This includes the visual arts, music, play and movement, reading and writing, math, science, and foreign language.

World Knowledge: Social and cultural movements of present times as well as past related to childrens experiences in the natural world in various aspects. Play is seen as a unique and special language. The themes of the school go beyond the pedagogical needs of a curriculum and address the needs of developing relationships in a global society.