Frog & Toad Essex Junction
Child-Centered Environments
About Us
Your Child Is in Great Hands
Philosophy
At Frog & Toad our philosophy is that each child is an individual, with individual needs, preferences, feelings, and learning styles. Likewise, we believe that each family has its own uniqueness. Our school is designed to provide outstanding care to all children and families. We do this by altering our teaching styles to reach each child, by communicating with families about their child and family each and every day, by fully understanding early childhood development, and by genuinely caring about the success of each individual and family with whom we work.
Health & Safety
We value the health and safety of all our students and staff at Frog & Toad. During this time especially, we have adopted the strict guidelines set forth by the State of Vermont Department of Health in order to ensure that our students and staff are well-protected.
The uniqueness of each child and family is especially evident during times of crisis (such as a pandemic), but our mission remains the same. We will work diligently to ensure the success of each child and family. We recognize that success can take many forms, and during challenging times, our focus will be on the mental and physical health and well-being of each child and family in our care.
Curriculum & Assessment
Every child is on their own unique developmental journey. At Frog&Toad Child Care&Learning Center, LLC we support that individual journey by consistently developing curriculum that is appropriately challenging, based in developmental standards, and of the children's interests.
The Vermont Early Learning Standards provide the framework for our teachers to develop the most well-rounded educational experience possible for our students. Additionally, teachers develop curriculum utilizing their own unique teaching expertise, the interest of their students, and the Creative Curriculum platform.
Creative Curriculum is a series of curriculums designed by Teaching Strategies that are specifically meant to meet the educational needs of children at all stages of their development. Teachers can use as much or as little of the platform as they like. They can also alter activities to better suit the students in their classroom.
Additionally, the teachers of Frog&Toad perform regular assessments on the learning and growth advancements of all of our students. This is done by performing the ASQ (an assessment tool that many families complete at their child's pediatrician visits) twice each year as well as the Checkpoints Assessment through Teaching Strategies Gold (this is an assessment focused on educational milestones, and is in alignment with the Vermont Agency of Education requirements).
Both the Creative Curriculum platform, and the Teaching Strategies Gold assessments "talk" to one another; which streamlines our curriculum, assessment, and portfolio process. In short, communicating effectively with families about the growth and development of their child is thorough and comprehensive.
Frog&Toad values it's teachers!
At Frog&Toad we take the time to honor our staff in a multitude of different ways, but one of our favorite methods is give them some public recognition for their efforts and dedication to the field of Early Care and Education! Here, as well as in our programs, you will see prominent displays of the Teacher of the Month as well as the Honorable Mention.
***SPECIAL SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT***
2023 MARKS 20 YEARS OF SERVICE FOR OUR BURLINGTON PROGRAM DIRECTOR ERIN! WE COULDN'T BE MORE HONORED BY YOUR YEARS OF DEDICATION, LOVE, AND TEACHING!
Angelina is November's Teacher of the Month. Angelina has displayed exceptional positivity and has proven to be extremely helpful to other staff. Along with the boat loads of smiles and laughter coming from her, she has been super helpful when it comes to training her new co-teacher and making her feel welcome and comfortable. Additionally, Angelina has been great at listening to suggestions and thoughts around making the classroom run more smoothly.
Angelina has also been very helpful when it comes to putting in extra time when needed. She willingly comes in to open the school when asked, and always offers to stay late when one of our later shift teachers are out. Angelina has stepped up her game implementing more sensory experiences in her classroom and facilitating her student's outside exploration. Angelina is a truly happy, loving, nurturing teacher, and it is wonderful to see her devotion to the field of Early Education shine through in such positivity!
Amanda is November's Honorable Mention. Amanda has been working a full-time schedule, and staying late to help cover when others are out. Amanda is also in the Apprenticeship Program, where she has been taking a class a semester for almost two years. It has been wonderful to watch her growth over the years as an Early Educator. She has been taking what she learns in her classes and applying it to her students. Additionally, it has been wonderful to see Amanda embrace our nature-based learning platform by ensuring that her very young students get outside and engage in activities that are enriching!