Sunflower Early Learning Academy’s mission is to provide an environment where children can safely explore and produce their learning as individuals and members of a community. To achieve this we:

 

• Provide a curriculum where learning is achieved through whole or small group play and hands-on experiences; catering to the whole child.

 

• Create an environment where children feel that they are respected as individuals, where their ideas are heard, and where mistakes are transformed to learning experiences instead of a step towards failure.

 

• Collaborate with parents and other community members to provide support and better learning experiences for the children.

Sunflower Early Learning Academy’s vision is to be the premier provider of quality childcare for infants, preschool, and school age children. Known for our exceptional educational programs, accomplished early child care educators, and community relationships, we pride ourselves on our unique blend of fun and learning in a safe and nurturing state of the art environment.

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Who are some of your most notable clients? How have your services helped them overcome a problem?  I have had so many clients through my 25+ years but the most notable were when I was working as director in Chinatown.  Although, we had a language barrier, I was able to communicate and relate to my families by the quality of services that I provided.  Always smiling and always there for any questions or concerns even if I need a translator.  We were more like a large family than a daycare center.

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Who are some of your highlighted projects/products that you've served or developed?  I have developed a customized curriculum for the previous childcare center I worked for as well as guiding them through the assessment process with ExceleRate Illinois which resulted in us receiving our Silver Circle of quality the first year completing; and our Gold Circle of quality the second year of completing.

To grow best, sunflowers need full sun. They grow best in fertile, moist, well-drained soil with heavy mulch.  Just as sunflowers need sun and fertile earth; children need a foundation, being nourished with knowledge so that they can learn and flourish to the best of their ability and for future success.

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SELA believes that encouraging thinking ability in different situations is a key to children’s success. To achieve this, we ensure that the center provides for a safe learning environment, with highly-qualified teachers and staff, to give children and their families the opportunity to gain experiences that will help them grow physically, cognitively, socially, emotionally, and morally.

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We understand that all kids are different. Our teachers create routines and plans for lessons that would appeal to children coming from different backgrounds, developmental levels, and interests. We believe that a great way to learn is through play and hands-on experience. We provide opportunities to gain experiences by encouraging social interactions and play. We use open ended materials, and offer opportunities for exploration and encourage thinking, sharing, and acting on ideas for students to gain better understanding of things.

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Lastly, we understand that children are individuals who are part of a community. in the center, encouraging autonomous thinking and decision-making is just as important as encouraging group problem solving and thinking about inter-relatedness.