At the Henry Frost Children’s Program we aim to provide a high quality and nurturing experience for all children and their families. Our program reflects a developmental approach to early education. Our educators at Henry Frost have created spaces in which each child can be physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually challenged and engaged in meaningful activity. Through spontaneous, structured, and integrated play opportunities, children participate in activities to promote problem-solving skills, creativity, and learning. These purposeful experiences encourage children to interact with materials and their peers. These hands-on, constructive explorations nurture and promote children’s self-esteem, confidence, and sense of wonder.

We are committed to valuing individual differences and we actively include children and families from a variety of ethnic, family, religious, and cultural backgrounds. We believe that it is only by providing and supporting diversity within our program that we can enable children to value the richness and importance of a multicultural experience and world. We stand committed to nurture a more diverse and inclusive generation of young children who thrive through their experience of equitable learning opportunities in early learning programs. We aim for each child to demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride and positive social identities, express comfort and joy with human diversity, increasingly recognize injustice, and have the will and the skills to act against prejudice (Derman-Sparks, Edwards & Goins. 2020, Anti-bias Education for Young Children & Ourselves, Second Edition. NAEYC). Our students are all between the ages of 2-5 and do not need to be toilet trained to attend. The Henry Frost Children’s Program complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity).

At the Henry Frost Children’s Program, we do not subscribe to one philosophy of early education. Our educators have been trained in the teachings of Reggio Emilia, Maria Montessori, John Dewey, Asian early education philosophy, and the Eliot-Pearson developmental approach. Rather than choosing to subscribe to one technique, we have decided to choose the best from all of these early education pioneers to create the Complementary Curriculum Approach. Our work is constantly influenced by current research and practice.

Anti-Bias Education

Because bias and prejudice harm all children, anti-bias theories and methods are integrated throughout daily classroom life. Anti-bias education has four core goals, each of which applies to children of all backgrounds and influences. Each goal interacts and builds on the other three. Together, they provide a safe, supportive learning community for all children. Effective anti-bias education is possible when all four goals are addressed.

The four core goals of the Anti-Bias Curriculum:

  • Goal 1: Each child will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.

  • Goal 2: Each child will express comfort & joy with human diversity; accurate language for human differences; and deep, caring human connections.

  • Goal 3: Each child will increasingly recognize unfairness, have the language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.

  • Goal 4: Each child will demonstrate empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.*

We believe that purposeful work towards these goals will provide children with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary for effective living in an increasingly complex and diverse society. Anti-bias work is challenging and requires a commitment from staff and parents to examine and confront the biases in ourselves, as well as in our work with children.

*Derman-Sparks, L & Olsen Edwards, J (2010). Anti-Bias Curriculum. Washington, D.C.; NAEYC.