A Note from our Director

Dear families:

We’ve all heard about the importance of the first three years of life.  Babies and toddlers are working hard to master cognitive, emotional, social, language, and motor skills.  Their brains are rapidly growing and making the neural connections needed to support these new developments.  Over the past twenty-five years of working with young children and their families I’ve come to firmly believe that the best way to support our young children’s growing brains is to foster a loving connection between child and caregiver during these early years.

This is at the core of our philosophy at Galoop.  From a child development standpoint, there is simply no need to rush to place a child under the age of 3 into a drop-off program.  To the contrary, I’ve seen firsthand over the years how the presence of a trusted caregiver supports babies and toddlers in their exploration, learning, and socialization, and allows them to feel at ease knowing their needs are understood and being cared for. 
 
Moreover, because Galoop’s curriculum is designed for children to attend multiple (indeed, all) days of the week, it gives children the precious gift of routine and predictability.  Routines allow children to anticipate what happens “next,” and this knowledge in turn helps them feel safe and secure.  When we combine routines with familiarity – familiar places and familiar faces that form the Galoop community each year – we give children increased confidence to explore their environment.  And all these pieces combined provide children with the perfect environment to develop independence and agency and the necessary skills to explore their world and make new connections.  
 
I also know that parents and caregivers need support and connections; that the important task of nurturing young children cannot happen in isolation.  That is why I’ve created a space committed to needs of young children and caregivers alike.  At Galoop, while our children explore, learn, and grow, adults make friends, swap parenting advice, get expert support, and have a relaxing time.  Our commitment to both young children and their loving caregivers makes Galoop a unique and nurturing community for families.
 
I encourage you to read more about our program and philosophy in these pages.  And please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.
 
Sincerely,
 
Cecilia Matson, M.A.
Early Childhood and Parenting Expert  
Director of Galoop Children’s Program
 
PS: Are you wondering what “Galoop” means?  Babies and toddlers in circle time love the song “Galoop went the little green frog one day… and it hopped away.”  This fun, engaging song about taking a developmental leap captures the spirit of Galoop!

Sample Week in the Morning Program

Every Sunday Cecilia emails our families in the morning program and previews the curriculum for the coming week as well as the discussion topic for caregivers.  For example, one week this past winter our theme of the week was Winter Small World.  Our stations included snow scenes at the easels with white paint on dark paper; an arctic habitat at the sensory table with dyed rice, penguins, “icebergs” and pretend snow; ice paintings at one of our art table with watercolors on ice cubes and snow collages at our second art table with cotton balls and clear contact paper.  Our discussion topic that week was “understanding our child’s temperament.”

This spring one of our week’s theme was Welcome Spring.  Our stations rainbow painting at the easels; digging for spring bugs at the sensory table; tissue paper ripping and cutting and then gluing it to a tree branch at our art tables for a collaborative art project.  And our discussion topic was “our child’s immune system.”  Each week brings something new and fun for children and caregivers alike!

 

Media / Learn More!

Toddler playtime is so important!  Experts are increasingly taking note of the critical importance of play to a child’s development.  At Galoop playtime and independence are at the core of our philosophy.  Read below for a discussion with Cecilia about the importance of play in Exhale magazine: 

5 Tips for Working Toddler Playtime Into Your Day

When can you leave a child play unsupervised?  That’s the question up for discussion with Cecilia in Romper magazine.