The Rato Bangala School Early Childhood Center
Introduction
The Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center was established keeping in mind that the early years are the most important years in a child’s life where rapid brain development takes place. It was conceptualised as a training model and a laboratory school that demonstrates best practices in early childhood education. Thus while catering to the small number of students that attend the Center, the larger goal is that of developing professional early childhood practitioners who work with the most marginalised children in the community schools. Rato Bangala School’s sister organisation, the Rato Bangala Foundation is a UNESCO awarded non-profit that works on teacher training taking the best practices crafted at the school to the larger community.
Mission Statement
At the Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center, our mission is to create a safe and nurturing learning environment that promotes social, emotional, cognitive and physical development and empowers children to become thinkers and risk-takers who enjoy learning and can articulate their ideas.
Vision Statement
Creating and promoting good-quality early childhood programs for Nepali children.
Our Approach
We care how children learn as much as what they learn. Recent research in the field of neuroscience highlights how rapidly the brain develops during the first six years of life. We now know that the early childhood years are a time of great opportunity for learning and are followed by a lifetime of neuroplasticity. Through facilitated play-based learning and active engagement with the world and the articulation and practice of routines and responsibilities, the Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center provides children with the social, emotional, and cognitive skills they need to become happy, contributing members of the community and to enter grade school with the skills and attitude they need to become successful students and lifelong learners.
Early Childhood Development- Who are the Children?
Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are developing skills at an exciting rate and exhibit a growing interest in the world beyond their families. The younger the child, the more they tend to think concretely in the here and now, and often operate from a perspective of egocentricity. They need ample opportunity to have first hand experiences that include touch, smell, manipulation of objects, and the ability to participate in the routines and traditions of everyday living. Through active engagement with teachers, peers, and the other adults in their lives, children begin to think about and understand the world beyond their families, and begin to gage their own roles and responsibilities. This maturation can be seen in increasingly complex language development, social interaction, physical movement, problem solving, as well as their ability to empathize and respect other points of view. Their peer interactions become important and powerful. Children need to learn how to negotiate differences, take turns, and collaborate with each other. Their rapidly growing language skills allows them to succeed in the various tasks demanded of them.
The Role of the Teacher
The teacher sets up the environment so that it is child-centred and rich with learning opportunities. Teachers make choices informed by their knowledge of early childhood development, their understanding of the children in their care, and with the goal of supporting children’s independent use and care of materials. With materials exploration and artwork at the heart of the curriculum, the walls of the classroom will eventually also reflect the original work of children. While traditional schools have the teacher at the locus of all learning, the progressive model has the teacher orchestrate the learning that will evolve from interactions between children and adults, between children and the materials and their studies of the community they live in, as well as between and among the children themselves. Teachers will structure curriculum, make observations, ask questions, offer support, and make adjustments to any of the above, in the service of deeper learning. All teachers model respectful dialogue and support positive relationships between all community members, and they have a strong relationship with the child’s family.
Program Overview
Curriculum
It is through planned and emergent studies that children have the opportunity to dig deep into learning. Children learn about the world in which they live through Social Studies. Teachers will consider and reflect with children on their prior experiences, fully realizing that learning is more meaningful when experiences build upon each other. Outdoor explorations will ensure that children get to experience science through nature and develop a sense of belonging to the natural world.
Many of our materials are open-ended, which means that there are a variety of ways a child can enter the work and develop mastery. All of these are materials that will develop their concepts of numeracy and print. Blocks, paint, manipulatives, books, writing, drawing, dramatic play props, water and sand are core curriculum materials. Practical life skills and chores of daily living will be woven into the program, and the children are responsible for setting up snacks, cleaning up, dressing independently, and putting things away after use. They are responsible for feeding their small pets and observing them on a regular basis.
In addition to the range of rich experiences offered within the classroom setting, children will also work with a music, movement and PE teacher.
Literacy learning is an on-going process that begins early in life and continues well into adulthood. Literacy learning is embedded in every aspect of early childhood classrooms. Reading is a language-based skill. Oral language is the critical foundation upon which reading and writing are built. All throughout the day, in every area of the room, children are using oral language skills.
The unfolding linguistic abilities of each child is nurtured in a fully bilingual setting. Nepali and English are emphasized equally and supported through the spoken word as well as through a library of books that both support language development and an appreciation of culture. The bilingual curriculum of RBS sets standards for the country where the vernacular unfortunately is often not given enough respect particularly in the early years.
Play Based Learning
We now know that the most important engagement during this period of development is rooted in child-led play. During this stage, children begin to engage in symbolic play and learn to manipulate symbols. A child is able to use one thing to represent another, for example, pretending that a block is a bottle or a tree stump is a car. This symbolic thinking will later serve them as they learn to recognize the sounds represented by letters and the quantities represented by numbers.
Dramatic play allows children to become what he or she wants - a mother, father, baby, doctor, or superhero. The child interprets the role as they imagine it. This interpretation reflects the deepest wishes and fears of the child. Children learn about the world by playing about it.
With adult guidance, dramatic play allows young children to express themselves through language and action, as well as listen to the ideas and perspectives of others. They gain experience with solving the natural conflicts that arise from human interaction and derive pleasure from becoming a member of a community.
At the Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center, we believe that play is the work of early childhood and that children learn about the world through play.
The Role of the Parent
We believe that a successful early childhood program requires a productive partnership between parents and teachers. Parent engagement is a very important aspect of the Center and powerful partnerships are forged when parents are engaged. When children between the ages of 3 and 5 come to school, they are still mastering the challenges of separation from their trusted parents or caregivers. The home-school partnership is strengthened when there is a shared vision, open communication, and ample opportunity to share multiple perspectives. Observations made by parents and teachers are discussed and serve as important information to help nurture the child, as each bring important information and perspectives to the table. In the service of such partnership, during the early weeks of school, the Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center asks that a parent or caregiver initially accompany the child to school so that we can best support the exciting transition from home to school.
Communication between the School and Parents
Rato Bangala aims to work closely with parents for the all-round growth and development of their children. In order to facilitate communication, the School has developed Guidelines for Parents, and the Home-School Link Book for day-to-day communications. There are usually two occasions during the school year in which Parent-Teacher Conferences are organized. In addition to these formal occasions, parents are encouraged to make appointments to meet their child's teachers whenever they find it necessary.
We look forward to parents attending all school events. We hold a Curriculum Meeting at the beginning of the year. Culmination of studies and Assemblies are regular features where parents get first hand experience about their child’s work and are able to chart their growth and development.
Facilities
The Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center provides an indoor and outdoor environment, specifically designed for a young child’s need to safely explore. The classrooms are designed to encourage exploration, foster problem solving and offer a wide range of opportunities for learning at one’s own pace.
The range of workspaces include: cubbies for personal belongings, a meeting or dramatic play area, floor space to work with building materials, a block area, tables for work with small motor materials (writing, drawing, art, puzzles, claywork and playdough), access to a well-planned outdoor environment, complete with large motor play equipment and a garden. Activities outdoors will ensure that children get to experience and develop a love of nature and sense of belonging to the natural world. A cow shed, an expanse of open field and a vegetable garden they themselves maintain, and a verdant green environment helps the children engage in the outdoors according to the forest school concept. Children get first hand experience in growing their own produce and enjoying them, which can lead to a life-long commitment to the environment and healthy eating habits.
The Rato Bangala Early Childhood Center is continuously engaged in reflection and modelling best practices to enable it to go beyond its premises into the community schools to make an impactful change in early childhood practices. The Rato Bangala Foundation is currently working with twenty two schools on early childhood development training.
- The Center runs Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes.
- Serving children ranging in age from 3.5 through 5.5 years old.
- School Hours: 8:15 am to 2:00 pm.
- Children are expected to be in the school premises from 8:00am to 8:15am.
- We serve snack and a hot lunch.
- Pick-up and drop off will be arranged by parents.
Contact
To learn more about the Admission procedure, visit our Admission page.
For more information please contact the office at 5522614, 5542045/5534318
Email: preschool@ratobangala.edu.np
Coordinator: Ms. Sarita Rana, ranas@ratobangala.edu.np
