Vision
The USF Preschool for Creative Learning (PCL) stands as a beacon of innovative early childhood education. We champion an inquiry-driven approach to both teaching and learning, continuously pushing the boundaries of preschool education through pioneering teacher training, impactful research, and deep-rooted community partnerships.
Mission
At the heart of the USF Preschool for Creative Learning is a clear mission: to serve as a living laboratory for demonstrating, observing, studying, and teaching the gold standards in early childhood education. We pursue this mission through three interconnected goals:
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Nurturing Young Minds: We provide a supportive and enriching environment for children of USF students, faculty, staff, and community members. Our program is designed to foster children’s intellectual curiosity, social-emotional growth, competence, and physical development. We believe in building strong partnerships with families, recognizing and integrating their valuable insights into our educational approach.
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Advancing Teacher Education: The PCL serves as a vital hub for teacher education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuous professional development. It’s a place where best practices in early childhood education are not just discussed but actively implemented and refined.
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Expanding Knowledge through Research: We are committed to extending the frontiers of early childhood education. The PCL provides a dynamic setting for students, teachers, and faculty to engage in meaningful research, contributing to the ever-evolving understanding of early learning.
Equity is a cornerstone of our philosophy. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates the diverse capabilities and backgrounds of all children and families we serve.
Curriculum: Cultivating Curiosity and Inquiry
At the PCL, our educators are more than just teachers; they are curriculum architects and researchers in their own right. They engage in ongoing practitioner research to gain a deeper understanding of each child, drive innovation in teaching methods, and contribute valuable knowledge to the field of Early Childhood Education. Our teachers are in constant dialogue, ensuring that our program’s philosophy is woven into the fabric of daily activities. They embrace a teaching and learning approach rooted in inquiry, grounded in Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Our educators possess a rich understanding of content, skills, and learning processes across various domains, and skillfully employ a range of instructional strategies to meet the unique needs of every child. This includes explicit instruction, facilitating engaging project-based investigations, and leveraging child-initiated play as a powerful learning tool.
Our curriculum encompasses a rich tapestry of domains, including:
- Language, Literacy, and the Arts: Fostering communication, expression, and creativity.
- Mathematics, Science, and Technology: Encouraging logical thinking, scientific exploration, and technological literacy.
- Social Studies: Building an understanding of community, culture, and history.
- Social/Emotional Development: Nurturing empathy, self-awareness, and positive relationships.
- Physical Development: Promoting gross and fine motor skills, health, and well-being.
Project Work: Deep Dives into Discovery
The Project Approach is a cornerstone of our creative learning environment. It’s a framework that empowers young children to delve into in-depth inquiries about the world around them. A project at PCL is an extended exploration of a real-world topic, often unfolding over weeks or even months, allowing for deep and meaningful learning.
Projects unfold in three dynamic phases:
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Phase 1: Ignition of Interest: This phase is all about discovery. We uncover what children already know about a chosen topic and spark their curiosity with shared initial experiences. This sets the stage for generating questions that will drive further investigation.
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Phase 2: Hands-on Exploration: Here, teachers and children become co-explorers, building upon existing knowledge through firsthand investigations. They actively seek answers to their questions, engaging in research, observation, and experimentation.
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Phase 3: Sharing and Reflection: In the final phase, children synthesize their learning, reflect on their journey, and decide how best to communicate their newfound knowledge to others. This might involve presentations, displays, or performances.
Project work provides an authentic context for young learners to apply their growing academic skills and knowledge in meaningful ways (Katz, Chard, and Kogan, 2014). Throughout each project, children connect concepts and skills across different curriculum areas. They express their understanding and learning through diverse mediums, including writing, drawing, painting, dramatic play, building, music, movement, and digital graphics.
For a deeper look, explore The Engineering Project, an example of project-based learning in action at PCL.
Standards and Objectives: Guiding Principles for Growth
The PCL curriculum is thoughtfully aligned with the Florida Early Learning Standards. We integrate these standards through systematic instruction, responsive teaching that builds upon child-initiated play, and teacher-guided activities using the Project Approach as our framework for inquiry. Our educators intentionally weave key concepts from mathematics, literacy, science, social studies, and the arts into the rich context of in-depth projects, ensuring a holistic and integrated learning experience.
Assessment: A Holistic View of Progress
At PCL, we believe in a “big picture” approach to assessment. We value authentic performance assessments that evaluate learning across all curriculum domains using specific criteria. This allows us to truly see and celebrate the individual growth and learning journey of each child over time. Teachers utilize developmental checklists and create comprehensive portfolios that showcase evidence of each child’s unique learning path. For our Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program, we also employ the Florida VPK assessment instruments. Families receive detailed summary reports and portfolio samples twice a year, providing concrete examples of their child’s development and progress.
Documentation and Teacher Inquiry: Making Learning Visible
Documentation is a powerful tool at PCL. It’s “the practice of observing, recording, interpreting, and sharing, through a variety of media, the processes and products of teaching and learning in order to deepen learning” (Given, Kuh, LeeKeenan, Mardell, Redditt, Twombly, 2010, p. 38). Visitors to our preschool will often see teachers capturing moments through photographs and videos, and jotting down anecdotal notes during daily activities. We deeply value children’s work, carefully preserving samples to revisit with the children and to include in their portfolios. PCL teachers use documentation to inform their interactions with children, tailoring their approach to best support and extend each child’s learning. Beyond tracking progress and personalizing instruction, our teachers also use documentation to reflect on their own practice, evaluating how effectively they are embodying the PCL vision and philosophy in their daily curriculum decisions.
Environment: Spaces Designed for Discovery
Our learning environments at PCL are carefully designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and functionally enriching, fostering children’s natural curiosity and love of learning. These environments are dynamic, evolving to reflect the changing interests of the children and adults within each classroom.
Outdoor Spaces: Nature as a Classroom
Our outdoor playground is a vibrant and inspiring space, designed to encourage exploration and connection with nature. We see our playground as an extension of the indoor learning environments, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor learning. It’s a space that blends traditional play equipment with an array of natural materials, creating a rich and stimulating learning landscape. This includes a pollination garden showcasing Florida native plants, a stage for storytelling and dramatic play, a sand exploration area, an imagination station, and a variety of materials thoughtfully brought out by teachers to enhance the environment and spark new discoveries.
Library: A World of Stories
Our school library and free little library are open to children and adults, offering a wide selection of books to enjoy both at school and at home. The library is a key way we foster children’s independence and build strong connections between home and school, encouraging a love of reading and lifelong learning.
Teacher Loft and Education Room: A Space for Educators
The loft serves as a dedicated space for both pre-service and experienced teachers to collaborate, engage in professional development, plan instruction, and create documentation. Teachers have access to a wealth of resources, including a professional library and teaching supplies. This space is designed for reflection, planning, creating documentation panels, and analyzing student work for portfolios. It supports individual work, professional learning community meetings, and provides a setting for pre-service teachers to connect with their mentors and supervisors.
