At JOY, the curriculum is the child
At JOY, the curriculum is the child
At JOY, the curriculum is the child; we plan lessons and projects based on the interests of children. We see the value in integrating elements from Montessori, Reggio Emilia and High Scope, but we give teachers autonomy to decide what is best for their community of children. For our youngest children, it is more common to see them engaged in constructivist activities, while as children grow up, projects rule their world. It is amazing to see how our children engage in projects for a long period of time, how they make the community part of their learning, and how they surpass all state standards by learning what they are interested in learning.
JOY’s Pedagogical Framework
1. Instill a Dedication to Personal Well Being
• Emotional intelligence: Learning self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation.
• Mindfulness and Well-being: Practices for managing emotions and stress, fostering self-esteem, self-empowerment and resilience. Nurturing a sense of inner peace and spiritual wellbeing.
• Healthy Lifestyle: Educating about healthy eating habits, physical activities, personal hygiene, and self-care.
• Financial Education: Promoting responsibility and empowerment by learning basic concepts of money, savings, budgeting, and economic principles
2. Discover One’s Own Passion Through the Pursuit of Wisdom and Creative Expression
• Critical and Divergent Thinking: Fostering logical reasoning, analysis and scientific skills. Encouraging original ideas and innovative approaches to problem solving.
• Growth mindset: Cultivating adaptability and continuous improvement
• Exploration and Curiosity: Creating an environment that stimulates curiosity, experimentation and risk-taking, allowing children to explore and discover including the use of technology as a tool for inquiry and learning.
• Communication and creative expression: Developing effective verbal and non-verbal skills. Encouraging imaginative expression through various art forms, music, drama and storytelling.
3. Commit to Social Development and Community Impact
• Cultural Competence: Exposure to diverse cultures, traditions, languages and perspectives.
• Outdoor Learning and Stewardship: Developing a strong connection with nature while fostering responsibility for its preservation through hands-on education.
• Social and Community Impact: Supporting children’s social development as well as instilling collaboration and commitment to create better communities.
• Leadership: Working within a community to inspire, motivate, and guide others towards common goals
Paths of JOY to fulfill the Pedagogical Framework
Similar to our preschool model, JOY does not adhere to traditional subject structures in Elementary. JOY embraces project- based learning as the primary method of fulfilling our pedagogical framework and surpass state standards. We call these projects “Paths of JOY”.
Paths of JOY are project-based learning experiences framed through real-world inquiries that are relevant to children’s lives. Most Paths of JOY are inspired by children’s interests and some of them are implemented school-wide.
Emotional intelligence
Learning self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation.
Mindfulness and Well-being
Practices for managing emotions and stress, fostering self-esteem, self-empowerment, and resilience. Nurturing a sense of inner peace and spiritual wellbeing.
Healthy Lifestyle
Educating about healthy eating habits, physical activities, personal hygiene, and self-care.
Financial Education
Promoting responsibility and empowerment by learning basic concepts of money, savings, budgeting, and economic principles
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We Promote High Quality Practices
JOY strongly believes in active learning, empowering children as protagonists and adults as facilitators. We teach children to independently resolve social disagreements through conflict resolution strategies. Our model demonstrates that academics thrive alongside holistic practices, nurturing children as whole individuals. Serving as an incubator for JOY's philosophy, our school fosters diversity, creativity and critical thinking in all children, supporting each to reach their full potential
But we don't stop there...
At JOY, we know that it is not only about how children learn, but what they are learning. We are always asking ourselves these questions: What should be the focus of education? What should we be learning at schools?
We are committed to creating a dynamic model that adapts to the evolving needs of our society. Dedicated to identifying the gaps in education, challenging conventional norms, and proposing innovative solutions to contemporary challenges, we acknowledge the disconnect between the pressing issues of our world and what children are learning in schools. At JOY, we innovate and integrate programs aimed at bridging these gaps, which now form the cornerstone of our educational philosophy:
We know how hard it can be to choose the perfect place for your little ones to learn and grow. We have made it simple for you to find out exactly what to look for when choosing the perfect preschool. Get your copy now…
Mirror Mirror
We live in a society where it is easy and more acceptable to not like ourselves than to love ourselves. Self-love is not selfishness, on the contrary, loving ourselves is the most powerful thing that we can do and can have a positive impact on everything around us. We believe that every child has everything they need inside of them; so we focus on fostering self-esteem and self empowerment, cultivating resiliency and emotional wellbeing through mirror play, mindfulness and positive affirmations.
Gracias San Antonio
Civic education is mostly relegated to older grade levels and boring textbooks but we expect our children to grow up and be committed citizens. JOY believes in creating a strong link between the children and the City they live in. We go on City Explorations and fall in love with our community, we vote for a local organization and support it throughout the year. We create art and we auction it at the end of the year at the Art Exhibit to raise funds to support a project in our community. We learn that regardless of our age, young children can impact their community.
The Earth is my Home
We are facing an ongoing rise regarding environmental issues and yet ask our children to save an Earth that they do not even know. We believe that if our children have the opportunity to connect with nature, they will feel part of it and will be committed to taking care of it. We focus on spending time outdoors , caring for living things, and discovering the wonders within our world.
We are one:
We believe in empowering young children to learn about diverse cultures and develop empathy towards others. Through our curriculum, we provide opportunities for children to appreciate differences, fostering a strong sense of identity and respect for individuality. We emphasize the personal nature of culture and actively challenge stereotypes. Our goal is to create a space where every individual feels safe, loved, and valued for who they are
Emprende
A dynamic entrepreneurship curriculum designed to cultivate skills and mindset, empowering children to ideate, develop, and manage their own business ventures or projects. Through hands-on experiences children learn essential entrepreneurial skills such as creativity, problem-solving, leadership and teamwork. Our initiative fosters a culture of innovation and initiative, inspiring young learners to explore their passions, take risks and turn their ideas into reality.
2024 - 2025 School Calendar
We are currently recruiting
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