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Our School

Our Mission

To nurture the next generation of collaborative leaders and creative, environmentally responsible thinkers, by igniting children’s innate capacity to learn.

Our Vision & Values

An Inspiring Educational Environment
We strive to have the best learning environment based on Reggio Emilia practices and philosophy.  A study published in the National Institute of Child and Human Development demonstrates a correlation between high quality child care center and higher levels of academic and cognitive skills.

Nurturing Teachers
Since 99% of your child’s experience is directly related to his/her teachers in the classroom, we employ passionate, caring, experienced, and jovial teachers for our school.

Individuality
All children are honored and viewed as intrinsically motivated and active participants of their learning.

Relationships
This core value is the center of our school and Reggio Emilia.  We build relationships and promote kindness with each other and our surroundings such as materials, classrooms, teachers and administrators, and our KLA School families.

Communication
We pride ourselves on exceeding your expectations with an unparalleled level of timely and high quality information regarding your child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development.  We use many different channels to support this including Daily Journals, Portfolios, Projections, and a Parent app.

Visibility of the Learning Process
Documentation throughout our school and in classrooms provide visual evidence of learning process.  Documentation is how we share our projected curriculum/experiences and communicate what our children are learning.

Our Vision & Values

IndividualityIndividuality
All children are honored as individuals who are intrinsically motivated and are active participants in their learning.

RelationshipsRelationships
Relationships are at the core of our educational approach and are built with our surroundings: people, materials, and environments.

CollaborationCollaboration
Families, educators and children are partners in learning and research.

ProcessProcess
Through documentation, the learning process of teachers and children is made visible for furthering understanding, expanding on concepts, and celebrating ideas.

IntentionalityIntentionality
Environments are safe, nurturing, and designed to promote experiences that invite children and adults to enter into meaningful dialogues that foster children’s innate curiosity, creativity, and thinking.

EquityEquity
Families of all races, cultures, and faiths are welcome and celebrated at our school. We are one community.

Our Vision & Values

Individuality

Individuality
All children are honored as individuals who are intrinsically motivated and are active participants in their learning.

Relationships

Relationships
Relationships are at the core of our educational approach and are built with our surroundings: people, materials, and environments.

Collaboration

Collaboration
Families, educators and children are partners in learning and research.

Process

Process
Through documentation, the learning process of teachers and children is made visible for furthering understanding, expanding on concepts, and celebrating ideas.

Intentionality

Intentionality
Environments are safe, nurturing, and designed to promote experiences that invite children and adults to enter into meaningful dialogues that foster children’s innate curiosity, creativity, and thinking.

Equity

Equity
Families of all races, cultures, and faiths are welcome and celebrated at our school. We are one community.

Our Leadership Team

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Sanam Madampath 

Owner Operator & Head of School

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MARGARET DICKERSON

Director

A Letter from the School Director

Dear Families, 
The question we get asked most often by prospective parents is, “How do I know if a preschool is right for my child?” We understand that finding the right fit for your child and your family is a top priority. As parents, we all want our children to be in a place where they are safe, where they are loved, and where the environment invites and guides them towards higher learning. Here are a few of the distinctions that may make KLA Sweetwater the right choice for your family:

Relationships
No parent wants to drop off their child in a place that feels as if it’s filled with strangers. KLA Sweetwater creates opportunities for relationships schoolwide. Your child will make meaningful connections with the teachers and students in their classroom. You may hear your daughter talking about new companions or your son might share who his best friends are. Your children will also know the teachers and students in neighboring classrooms and will have shared playground times with them. Small groups of older children may visit the classrooms of younger children to share a presentation, co-create a project, or nurture big buddy relationships. We are one community.

Connection
Our administrative team has an open-door policy. Parents are always welcome to stop by the offices of our School Owner, Sanam Madampath, or our School Director, Margaret Dickerson, to connect, chat, or ask questions. KLA Sweetwater hosts several family events each year such as Cultural Week, festivals, holiday parties, and more! Individual classrooms will host their own parent community gatherings as well. We encourage families to see each other outside of school through playdates and other social gatherings. We believe that it absolutely does take a village to raise a child.  We consider it a privilege to partner with parents and to serve as an extension of your family.

Play-based Learning w/Academic Objectives
Did you know that children go to “work” every day just like you? A child’s job is play! Our Reggio-Emilia inspired school has unique features that ensure learning happens creatively and intentionally. All preschools have classroom space but KLA Sweetwater also offers a STEM Atelier (studio) with state-of-the-art tools that expand on science, technology, engineering, and math. In addition, every KLA student, even our infants, will visit our Art Atelier. This Art Studio will give each child access to tactile and open-ended materials such as clay, wood, various paint mediums such as watercolors, pastels, oil painting, to explore and create. The materials abound and the possibilities are endless! Our emphasis on social-emotional learning creates pathways into empathy, respect for ourselves and others, and stewardship of our earth. We prepare all our graduates for Kindergarten by practicing self-regulation, resilience, mindfulness, and by utilizing a living curriculum that is scaffolded on the individual curiosities of each child and the academic needs of the classroom.

It is with pleasure that I invite you to navigate through our website, where you will get a glimpse into the life of our school and our child-led approach to learning. I look forward to meeting you in person when you visit our campus!

Margaret Dickerson
School Director
KLA Schools of Sweetwater

Our Educators

KLA Schools are staffed with caring, fun, and dedicated professionals. Participating regularly in professional development experiences, our teachers are constantly looking for ways to learn more about the best ways to teach our students. Observations of each child are documented throughout the day and notes which reflect on weekly projections are taken. Our educators are continually analyzing which ways children learn best as well as which teaching styles are most effective.

Our educators, in their interactions with children, work to align interests with the learning domains in caring, nurturing, and positive ways. This intentional practice supports feelings of safety, love, and value within each child. Our curriculum addresses the whole child including academic, physical, social and emotional domains.

We encourage the children to think deeper and ask questions as they research different theories. It is of utmost importance that teachers and children alike invest in researching and collaborating together in order to be a part of each other’s learning process.

Our Educators

KLA Schools are staffed with caring, fun, and dedicated professionals. Participating regularly in professional development experiences, our teachers are constantly looking for ways to learn more about the best ways to teach our students. Observations of each child are taken throughout the day in addition to notes reflecting on weekly projections. Our educators are continually analyzing which ways children learn best as well as which teaching styles are most effective.

Facilitators in their interactions with children, and our educators, work to align children’s interests with the learning domains in caring, nurturing, and positive ways which support students in feeling safe, loved, and valued. Our curriculum addresses the whole child including academic, physical, social and emotional domains.

We encourage them to think deeper and ask questions as they research different theories. It is of utmost importance that teachers and children alike invest in researching and collaborating together in order to be a part of each other’s learning process.

Parents as Our Partners

Parents are a crucial factor in our program. In fact, parents are our partners. Our teachers understand and respect that parents are their children’s first teacher. Their involvement in the school gives their children a sense of security and is deeply appreciated. We recognize that stable, quality relationships during the early years are fundamental for later developmental outcomes. Collaboration between teachers, parents and the children is an integral part of the educational experience at KLA Schools. Our goal is not simply to build a strong, warm and nurturing connection with each child, but to extend that connection to our community of parents. By working in a collaborative group setting, children learn critical life skills such as compromise, reasoning, respect for others’ opinions and enhancement of their sense of community. Through these partnerships, children benefit from experiencing many of the same principles at home that they do in school and thrive with this consistency. Teachers also offer frequent support our families and our communities through transparency and by being a source of information about educating a whole child and the various aspects of development.

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Safety and Security

KLA Schools are safe and secure by design. Our school is outfitted with secure camera surveillance for both inside our building and for our outdoor campus spaces.

Parents log their children in at the reception area, where no outsiders are allowed. All doors leading outside of the KLA Schools grounds are kept locked and only able to be opened through sophisticated technology. Our schools include an outdoor play area designed with age appropriate materials, protective fences, and well-maintained grounds to ensure the children’s safety.

Staff members are skilled in applying first aid to minor bumps and bruises. They are also trained in pediatric first aid and CPR. Our school complies with all Childcare Licensing regulations around practicing safety drills and posting evacuation routes in every classroom.

Safety and Security

KLA Schools are safe and secure by design. We work diligently to maintain the cleanliness of our facility as well as the safety of our furnishings and overall health of our children and their environment.

Parents log their children in at the reception area, where no outsiders are allowed. All doors leading outside of the KLA Schools grounds are kept locked and only able to be opened through sophisticated technology. Our schools include an outdoor play area designed with age appropriate materials, protective fences, and well-maintained grounds to ensure the children’s safety.

The entire school is continually monitored utilizing closed caption cameras in all classrooms as well as hallways and outdoor spaces.

Staff members qualified to respond to life-threatening emergencies are always in attendance. Trained in pediatric first aid and CPR, staff members are always available to respond to a variety of emergency medical situations. In addition to our regularly instituted health and safety plan, emergency care producers are also put in place for both minor and major incidents.

Whatever the situation, our staff is confident and qualified to keep your most prized possession safe at all times.

Community Service

As part of our philosophy and educational approach, we believe it is essential to make visible that each child knows and understands we are all different and can co-exist peacefully. We have different ways of thinking, a fact we embrace. In fulfilling this vision, KLA Schools has formed relationships with charitable organizations within each of the communities it serves. Stay tuned to learn more about our involvement with local charities.

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