Llamas in the Yard
Karen Woodruff Phillips
Like many other early childhood educators, when traveling abroad I like to take a look at local programs to see how other cultures teach and nurture their young children. I am the program director of The Discovery Center, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a nonprofit child care center serving children six weeks to eight years old. On a recent trip to Quito, Ecuador, I had the privilege of visiting the Unidad Educativa America Latina (UEAL), a private school serving children age two through high school. I spent some time in the classrooms for children who had just turned two to young fours.
Clearly the two programs are geographically, culturally, and politically far removed from one another. The differences are perhaps best symbolized by the llamas that nibble the grass in the UEAL yard. Needless to say, in Kalamazoo we have nothing quite that exotic.
Vital statistics
The Discovery Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., year-round, except for the week before the start of public school, when we close down to clean and repair the center and host a teachers’ retreat. Our staff-to-child ratios are 1 to 5 for older toddlers and preschoolers (two-and-one-half to three years old) and 1 to 8 for children ages three to eight. Although the state of Michigan does not require it, five of the center’s six core preschool teachers have college degrees. Most of the teaching assistants are college students. Since its inception in 1976, The Discovery Center’s goals for children have focused on learning independence, learning by doing, and expanding horizons.
Unidad Educativa America Latina operates from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In the room serving children ages two to four, the ratio of teachers to children is 1 to 10; in the room serving fours and fives, the ratio is 1 to 20. The ratios are reduced somewhat by the fact that both rooms share an aide. In addition, an English teacher floats among all classes in the school. All UEAL’s teaching staff either have a bachelor’s or master’s degree or are currently working toward a degree. The school offers teachers a generous 30 percent stipend toward college tuition. It awards scholarships to its students based on need.
Comparing programs
Other than the llamas, the most apparent difference to me was in the schools’ supplies. The Discovery Center is fortunate to have a rich inventory of toys and tools, but at Unidad Educativa America Latina, all resources are scarce and must be shared. There are some other differences:
- UEAL teachers care for considerably more children per person than we do at our center.
- At UEAL children wear uniforms; ours do not.
- UEAL serves food more frequently; children have two snacks and lunch during the five-hour day. During a comparable period at our center, there is breakfast and one snack prior to lunch.
- UEAL’s day is highly structured, with all the children doing common activities. The Discovery Center curriculum emphasizes child choice.
- Children at UEAL must ask teachers for desired supplies and materials, which are often shared among classrooms. The Discovery Center is set up to facilitate children’s independent choices and use of materials.
Conclusion
Despite the differences, I was most struck during my time in Quito by how much Unidad Educativa America Latina and The Discovery Center have in common, as is evident in the photos of the two programs in action. As different as the programs may seem in some respects, they share similar values and learning goals for children. Whether in Ecuador or Michigan, there is an inescapable feeling that both programs nurture children to experience the joy of learning. We share a common philosophy: we want children to become kind, caring adults.
Karen Woodruff Phillips, MA, has been program director of The Discovery Center, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, since its inception in 1976. Karen has traveled just about everywhere in the world except Antarctica and has visited and photographed child care centers and preschools in about 15 countries. E-mail: rkwphillips@chartermi.net.
Copyright © 2007 by the National Association for the Education
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