Life at
LifeWays
by Miss Belinda
Being a degreed special education and elementary education teacher, and after having worked in traditional childcare settings for 16-years, every so often, I take a step back to reflect on how and why I came to the decision to take the LifeWays Early Childhood Training course and begin my work at LifeWays Milwaukee. Like many changes I’ve made in my life, the decision was made after having children. My first child, a boy, began attending the infant room at the center where I worked when he was five-months old. At five-years of age, he began attending a mixed-age kindergarten program at the Waldorf school in Pewaukee (my daughter was two-years at the time), and it was through that connection that I discovered the LifeWays approach to childcare. I could sense something profoundly different that made LifeWays unlike other childcare centers and school settings, and their approach and philosophy resonated deeply with me. One of the profound differences was that, here at LifeWays, we strive to be “home-like.” After my experiences, that was a big “A-ha” moment for me.
At LifeWays, we don’t
define ourselves as “school,” and we don’t see ourselves as preparing children
for school. Instead, we see ourselves as preparing children for life. As
LifeWays North America states in five of their Principles for Caring for Young
Children At Home and in Childcare:
- · Childhood is a valid and authentic time unto itself and not just a preparation for schooling. Skipping or hurrying developmental phases can undermine a child’s healthy and balanced development.
- ·
Young children (birth to 6/7) thrive in the presence of
parents and other devoted caregivers who enjoy life and caring for children.
They learn primarily through imitation/empathy and, therefore, need to be cared
for by people with integrity and warmth who are worthy of being imitated. This
is the foundation for learning and healthy development.
- ·
In infancy and early childhood, daily life experience is the
“curriculum.” The child’s relationships to the caregivers and to the environment
are the two most important aspects through which the child can experience
healthy life rhythms/routines. These include the “nurturing arts” of rest and
play, regular meal times, exploring nature, practical/domestic activities,
social creativity, music and simple artistic activities.
- · Young children thrive in a home or home-like environment that offers beauty, comfort and security, and connection to the living world of nature. Healthy sense development is fostered when most of their clothing and playthings are of non-synthetic materials and their toys allow for open-ended, imaginative play.
- · Human relationship and activity are the essential tools for teaching the young child all foundational skills for life. Infants and toddlers develop most healthily when allowed to have freedom of movement in a safe environment. For three to six-year olds, creative play, not technology or early academics, forms the best foundation for schoolwork and life-long learning.
Thus, our center has three “family” suites each having a mixed-age of children from infant toapproximately five/six years of age and all cared for by a primary caregiver. We function as an extended family or a “small neighborhood.” The older children of the suites may attend the KinderHouse and/or KinderForest programs 2 to 4 days a week with the younger children in the suites having a more intimate time with their caregiver, similar to how it is at home when older siblings go off to school for a while. When the “olders” return to the suite, the infants and toddlers are happy to see them. As per Cynthia Aldinger, Executive Director of LifeWays North America, “The rhythms and activities of the days and weeks in a LW setting are meant to imitate home life rather than school life – daily care and cleaning of the environment, bodily care of the children, folding laundry, putting away groceries, eating, sleeping, singing and playing (both indoors and outdoors), crafting for special seasonal activities.” The children have opportunities throughout the week to help in the preparation of food for our daily meals and birthday celebrations. ☺
And so, we view LifeWays as our “Home Away from Home.” The suites are our living rooms, bedrooms and playrooms where we strive to create an environment of warmth, security and loving care similar to that of a family. We become part of the larger community when we move out into the main room where we enjoy meals together and all the activity that entails... helping with setting the table, serving the food and drink, clearing the table, washing our dishes, as well as taking dishes out of the dishwasher and placing them back in their “home.” We all play together outdoors as well in our play yard, down in the clearing and beyond, in the front yard and at local parks.
We view our “home” as sacred space. We view our work with children as sacred work. We strive to be an example of what it means to live in community. We strive to bring awareness of how our words and actions affect the community, and as such, reflect upon what our responsibility is to one another as we live and work together in our “little neighborhood.” In practical terms it may look like the following examples:
- ·
Manners matter – “May I Please” and “Thank you,” “Excuse Me,”
etc.
- ·
Hanging up our coats/jackets, snow/rain pants, on our hooks
and placing our boots/shoes tucked together and “kissing” the wall.
- ·
Entering our space calmly, with softer voices, saving the
running and louder voices for outside.
- ·
What we take out, we put away...toys, dishes, chairs, tables,
etc., and when we make a mess, we clean it up.
- ·
Lending a helping hand and/or lap and words of encouragement
when asked or needed.
- ·
Waiting to speak until it is our turn
And so on...
I think what I’m trying to get at in my roundabout way is, it is through our growing awareness and striving as adults working in community and the actions we take out of that striving and awareness that will make us worthy of imitation and plant the seeds of loving kindness and awareness in the children of what it can look like to be in community with one another...the joy and satisfaction of working together for the good of all as well as the difficult work of dealing with the challenges and learning through our mistakes.
And by the way – Though my children did not directly benefit from attending a LifeWays center as they were too old, it opened up a whole new career path for me, and they were able to benefit from the changes I began making at home based on what I was learning and how I was growing both personally and professionally through LifeWays as well as through the Waldorf school they were attending.
And full disclosure – My son, Kristian, began his “school career” attending a parochial school 4K-Kindergarten program. Halfway through his 5K year, we changed schools. I realized in hindsight that he was too young to go to an academics based school at 4-years of age though he appeared to others to be quite “ready” as he was both tall and had a sophisticated use of language. Little did I know at the time that those things are not enough to make one ready for school...but that’s another story for another time.
