Frog & Toad Essex Junction
Child-Centered Environments
About Us
Your Child Is in Great Hands
Philosophy
At Frog & Toad our philosophy is that each child is an individual, with individual needs, preferences, feelings, and learning styles. Likewise, we believe that each family has its own uniqueness. Our school is designed to provide outstanding care to all children and families. We do this by altering our teaching styles to reach each child, by communicating with families about their child and family each and every day, by fully understanding early childhood development, and by genuinely caring about the success of each individual and family with whom we work.
Health & Safety
We value the health and safety of all our students and staff at Frog & Toad. During this time especially, we have adopted the strict guidelines set forth by the State of Vermont Department of Health in order to ensure that our students and staff are well-protected.
The uniqueness of each child and family is especially evident during times of crisis (such as a pandemic), but our mission remains the same. We will work diligently to ensure the success of each child and family. We recognize that success can take many forms, and during challenging times, our focus will be on the mental and physical health and well-being of each child and family in our care.
Curriculum & Assessment
Every child is on their own unique developmental journey. At Frog&Toad Child Care&Learning Center, LLC we support that individual journey by consistently developing curriculum that is appropriately challenging, based in developmental standards, and of the children's interests.
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The Vermont Early Learning Standards provide the framework for our teachers to develop the most well-rounded educational experience possible for our students. Additionally, teachers develop curriculum utilizing their own unique teaching expertise, the interest of their students, and the Creative Curriculum platform.
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Creative Curriculum is a series of curriculums designed by Teaching Strategies that are specifically meant to meet the educational needs of children at all stages of their development. Teachers can use as much or as little of the platform as they like. They can also alter activities to better suit the students in their classroom.
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Additionally, the teachers of Frog&Toad perform regular assessments on the learning and growth advancements of all of our students. This is done by performing the ASQ (an assessment tool that many families complete at their child's pediatrician visits) twice each year as well as the Checkpoints Assessment through Teaching Strategies Gold (this is an assessment focused on educational milestones, and is in alignment with the Vermont Agency of Education requirements).
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Both the Creative Curriculum platform, and the Teaching Strategies Gold assessments "talk" to one another; which streamlines our curriculum, assessment, and portfolio process. In short, communicating effectively with families about the growth and development of their child is thorough and comprehensive.
Frog&Toad values it's teachers!
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At Frog&Toad we take the time to honor our staff in a multitude of different ways, but one of our favorite methods is to give them some public recognition for their efforts and dedication to the field of Early Care and Education! Here, as well as in our programs, you will see prominent displays of the Teacher of the Month as well as the Honorable Mention. ​​
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During this month of thanks, both Erin and Riley are Frog&Toad's Teacher of the Month. Erin is the Program Director for our Burlington site, and has been with Frog&Toad since 2003. Riley is the Program Director for our Essex Junction site, and has been with Frog&Toad since 2012.
To say that we are grateful for the contributions of these two extraordinary teachers is an understatement! They truly are the lifeblood of our schools! They are caring and dedicated leaders who genuinely value the teams that they work with. They are devoted champions for children, and high-quality Early Education. They go out of their way to ensure that our workplace cultures are positive, encouraging, and supportive for all of our staff. They work with each teacher to create environments for children that are effective and enriching. They arrange special events for our families, regularly celebrate the accomplishments of our teaching staff, work tirelessly to ensure that our schools are maintaining our high expectations for children's growth and development, and collaborate daily with our Executive Director to ensure that our programs are functioning at their best.
Additionally, Erin and Riley perform the role of mentor for those Early Educators that are going through the Apprenticeship Program. This requires a great deal of their time and attention both in and outside of Frog&Toad. Their participation in this way ensures that our teaching staff are ever growing and evolving as educators.
The contributions of these two Early Educators really have a huge impact on the success of our programs! We are all proud to work with them, and celebrate their ongoing dedication to this field! Thank you Erin and Riley for all that you do each day to make Frog&Toad the place where children love to learn!