Our Approach to Education

Early Foundations® for Your Early Learner

While your child is very young, every learning moment counts! That’s why our child care programs put education first—even for the tiniest babies—because every adorable coo, crawl, and creation is proof that they’re ready for more than just daycare.

Instead of pulling an existing curriculum off the shelf, we have a dedicated Education team that builds (and refines) our own research-based curriculum to meet the needs of your little learner. They’ve knit together the best parts of leading educational philosophies to make one standout approach you won’t find anywhere but KinderCare. It’s called Early Foundations®.

All About Early Foundations

Early Foundations takes a whole-child approach to early education, covering six key developmental domains:

Cognitive refers to the process of learning, reasoning and problem-solving, and the development of age-appropriate skills in math, science, and the study of the world around us.
Language and Literacy is all about verbal and non-verbal communication, plus the early skills needed to read and write!
Physical, Motor, and Wellness includes physical health, self-care skills, nutrition, fine- and gross-motor skills, and use of the five senses.
Social-Emotional skills include understanding and controlling emotions, developing empathy, building relationships, appreciating human diversity, and gaining self-confidence.
Executive Function is the ability to control impulses, build memory skills, and practice problem solving.
Creative Expression refers to how children express themselves through music, movement, play, and more.

“Our proprietary developmental curriculum is built by a team of experienced early childhood educators. They have years of classroom experience combined with expertise in child development, educational research, and national accreditation.

Our program is not only research-based, it’s also fun and engaging! You’ll see your child develop a love of learning and confidence for life.”

-Dr. Elanna Yalow, Chief Academic Officer

Learn more about Early Foundations and how it compares to other teaching philosophies like Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Waldorf.

Talented Teachers and A+ Centers

teacher at desk illustration

We hire talented humans who love your children (almost as much as you do)! Our low teacher-to-student ratio means your child gets individual attention and care all day. And you’ll develop a close relationship with your child’s teacher, too.

Our teachers are more than warm and fuzzy caregivers, they’re also talented educators! One way we help them stay at the top of their teaching game is making sure they complete special training and participate in continuing education throughout the year.

Achieving accreditation is another way we make sure our educators are meeting the highest standards of excellence in their field. All of our centers have achieved (or are pursuing) accreditation so you can feel confident your child is in a program that’s vetted for excellence.

The Right Program for Your Child

We’re ready to help you find the right spot for your child. In our age-specific classrooms for babies to kindergartners, there’s all sorts of activity and fun around every corner! Your child will have gentle guidance from our teachers plus lots of freedom to play, learn, and explore.

We’re confident your child will thrive here! Year after year, our national assessments show that KinderCare kids make better-than-expected gains!

School-Age Programs for Your K-6th Grader

KinderCare isn’t just for little kids! Some of our centers also partner with local elementary schools to complement the learning they offer. Our school-age curriculum layers alongside your school’s program and includes project-based STEM learning activities, art, physical activity, homework support, and more. You can also find distance learning, before- and after-school care, and break-time programs for big kids at select centers!

Teaching Kids Through an Anti-Bias Lens

At the heart of our curriculum is our intention to give your child what they need to grow up to be happy, show kindness to others, and make the world a better place. And we believe everything they do—from reading books and making art to even having lunch—are opportunities to practice empathy, compassion, and understanding.

Learn more about how we teach the fundamentals of acceptance, how we normalize differences in our classrooms, and how we honor diversity both inside and outside our classroom community.

Supporting Learning Differences

We welcome the unique needs of each child and their varying abilities, interests, and passions. And if your family or your teachers need more support to find the best learning solution for your child, the experts on our Inclusion Services team are here to help teachers develop individualized plans to meet their unique needs.

“We pride ourselves on making sure that every child, whatever their geography, background, ability, or economic circumstance, has the same great curriculum delivered by our caring and talented teachers. And what’s more, we have outcome data that show that children in our programs are better prepared for school than those who aren’t with us.”

-Dr. Elanna Yalow, Chief Academic Officer

Each child requires something different to become their best self. Fortunately, we have the support for families and educators to meet your child’s individualized needs through both our Education and Inclusion Services teams. If there’s something your child is missing, we’re just a conversation away.

3 Steps for Teaching Your Child Positive Behaviors

It’s normal (and expected) for children to want to go their own way from time to time. As with all things in childhood, positive behaviors are skills that need to be taught and developed. Don’t worry: Our teachers have seen it all! They’re equipped with age-specific strategies to use in the classroom that reduce unwanted behaviors and ultimately stop them before they happen.

But when they do, we take three big steps to give your child positive guidance:

Identify what's driving the behavior
Teach positive replacement behaviors
Provide lots of opportunities to practice new skills

Learn how to enroll. See what parents and teachers say about KinderCare.

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