LifeWays North America is a multi-service organization providing consulting and training for family childcare providers, childcare centers and parents caring for children from birth to 6 years of age. LifeWays suggests that too often the missing ingredients are consistency, warmth, and long lasting relationships revolving around the care of young children in a community of mutual support for the adults who care for them. LifeWays contributes a powerful voice to the early care arena by focusing on nurturing infants, young children and families in mixed-age, family style childcare settings. The heart of LifeWays childcare is the "Family Suite" in which children and caregivers develop long term relationships in an environment that protects childhood and enhances optimal physical, socio-emotional and cognitive growth and health.
LifeWays practices are based upon healthy sense development; continuity of care; development of mind and body; an enlivened experience of the domestic, nurturing, and creative arts; and the development of healthy social interactions. These guiding principles can be applied in childcare centers as well as childcare homes and offer practical applications for parents and parenting groups. These practices are inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner and the 80-year experience of Waldorf Education and are supported by contemporary early childhood research, as well as the common sense wisdom of many generations of parents.
The LifeWays approach is being implemented in in-home programs, childcare centers and parent-child programs throughout the country and is attracting interest abroad. We invite you to read the principles and suggested child care practices and join us if they resonate with what you are doing or want to see happening with young children. By uniting our efforts, we can become a potent force for healthy change in the lives of young children, their families and caregivers.
LifeWays offers weekend workshops for parents and professionals, year-long training programs in becoming a LifeWays childcare providers, and consulting on changing an existing childcare center to the LifeWays approach or for opening such a center. For details, see www.lifewayscenter.org.
Comments (1)
hi, i am the executive director of child vision services, a capacity building organisation that is focused on giving training to the child care trainer, i would like to know if there is any assisstance you can offer to us
Posted by adjoa konadu torto | September 4, 2006 3:16 PM