ABOUT US
Butterflies Academy is a non-profit 501(c)(3) preschool program serving children aged 2 to entry to kindergarten in a warm, nurturing and stimulating environment. Our year-round play-based program, driven by an emergent curriculum, promotes learning through "Educated Entertainment." We also provide a fun-filled summer camp experience year-round.
At Butterflies Academy in Saratoga, we recognize that the foundation for lifelong learning is established during the first five years of a child's life.
At Butterflies Academy in Saratoga, we recognize that the foundation for lifelong learning is established during the first five years of a child's life.
We also understand the importance of the balance between cognitive and literacy skills for children with comparable attention to the emotional and social development of children. At Butterflies Academy we understand that the first five years last a lifetime. Therefore, all our programs include a focus on social and emotional development, because the most important predictor of school and life success is social-emotional intelligence. During the first five years, while a child’s brain is being wired for a lifetime, Butterflies Academy’s work revolves around all a child’s developmental needs.
Scientific research shows that during this time period the underlying physical architecture of a child’s brain is established. From the first day of life to the first day in preschool, a child grows at a phenomenal pace that is unequaled at any other time of life.
Interwoven through our preschool program is the dedication to fostering relationships based on mutual trust and respect, thereby promoting each child’s confidence, self-understanding, self-esteem, and self-motivation. Within this context children are also offered opportunities to experience social interactions and develop independence and problem-solving skills. We believe that all children are entitled to an environment in which they can develop to their maximum potential
Butterflies Academy preschool embraces the importance of including and involving families in the education and care of their children in our program. We also encourage families to play an active role in their child’s experience. Together, we create an environment in which the children are happy, feel secure, and thrive.
Butterflies Academy preschool emphasizes the importance of creating settings that encourage children to be active learners in all aspects of our program. These include reflecting the interests, abilities, learning styles, and readiness of each child. Our butterflies enjoy each day and feel successful as they learn and grow.
Butterflies Academy ‘s offers a soothing, comfortable, inviting, and accommodating environment for our children. Our environment helps the child to learn, explore, and discover. Our children feel like they are at home when they are at Butterflies Academy!
Scientific research shows that during this time period the underlying physical architecture of a child’s brain is established. From the first day of life to the first day in preschool, a child grows at a phenomenal pace that is unequaled at any other time of life.
Interwoven through our preschool program is the dedication to fostering relationships based on mutual trust and respect, thereby promoting each child’s confidence, self-understanding, self-esteem, and self-motivation. Within this context children are also offered opportunities to experience social interactions and develop independence and problem-solving skills. We believe that all children are entitled to an environment in which they can develop to their maximum potential
Butterflies Academy preschool embraces the importance of including and involving families in the education and care of their children in our program. We also encourage families to play an active role in their child’s experience. Together, we create an environment in which the children are happy, feel secure, and thrive.
Butterflies Academy preschool emphasizes the importance of creating settings that encourage children to be active learners in all aspects of our program. These include reflecting the interests, abilities, learning styles, and readiness of each child. Our butterflies enjoy each day and feel successful as they learn and grow.
Butterflies Academy ‘s offers a soothing, comfortable, inviting, and accommodating environment for our children. Our environment helps the child to learn, explore, and discover. Our children feel like they are at home when they are at Butterflies Academy!
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Teaching Staff
An important consideration – another quality essential to preschool education – is the commitment and team of staff members who are trained for early childhood education. The teachers must engage with the children and express genuine interest, care and respect to each child. Butterflies Academy’s staff are highly committed to the overall well-being of your child. Our staff is well-trained, trustworthy and genuinely care about children, The Academy ensures that the teacher to student ratio does not exceed 1:7 in average. Such a ratio allows each child to receive the proper attention needed to succeed! Butterflies Academy adheres to this ratio. And our teachers: their commitment to the success of your child is of paramount importance to each of them. Butterflies Academy's teaching staff are experienced, educated and caring professional teachers who are dedicated to the care and education of children. Our staff are professionally trained in child development, early childhood education, CPR and First Aid. They are warmly responsive to a child’s individual needs in our daycare program. |
Mixed Age Groups in Montessori Environment
Child developmental specialists, and educators, particularly those who ascribe to the Montessori Approach to Child Learning, argue that “mixing up” age groups among children is highly beneficial. Outlined below are several important considerations that support the Mixed Age Approach supported by Butterflies Academy:
Let Us Start with Interaction: Within the mixed age group environment, interaction creates an atmosphere where children learn from each other, and learn to help each other. By interacting constantly with children of various ages, children appreciate not only their own accomplishments, but those of others. And by extension: they are naturally challenged by the accomplishments of others.
Learning Is A Process: Children learn from each other. Older children learn patience and tolerance towards those children younger than them, and thus less experienced. Older children serve as role models, mentors, and teachers to those younger. One of the benefits of an older child teaching a younger child is that it reinforces previously learned concepts. It becomes a path toward complete mastery of concepts, ones that are often difficult to comprehend, but essential to a good educational foundation. In turn, as younger children, watch older ones, they learn about courtesy, manners, and the elements of conflict resolution. Each child works and learns at his/her own pace: Mixed age groups allow each child the opportunity and ability to learn at an individual pace. In this environment, teachers do not have to set the instruction pace for the entire group. Rather, this is determined by the child. This is a striking difference from traditional education where the teacher determines the pace of instruction and learning, and everyone turns to page 33 of a book when so told. And everyone stays on page 33 until everyone understands the information.
Mixed Age Groups Build Community: When some 2/3 of a class return every year for a three-year period, children develop a strong and stable sense of community. They come to identify themselves as members of a sustained community and begin to define the importance of it. The establishment of such a community aids in the overall development of students as role models for each other.
And Finally, a Sense of Community Brings a Sense of Familiarity: Being in the same classroom year after year allows a teacher to truly learn each individual child’s learning abilities, style, and developmental level. It better enables the teacher to set the learning agenda. Furthermore, the teacher can build on children’s strengths and work on their individual weaknesses.
Child developmental specialists, and educators, particularly those who ascribe to the Montessori Approach to Child Learning, argue that “mixing up” age groups among children is highly beneficial. Outlined below are several important considerations that support the Mixed Age Approach supported by Butterflies Academy:
Let Us Start with Interaction: Within the mixed age group environment, interaction creates an atmosphere where children learn from each other, and learn to help each other. By interacting constantly with children of various ages, children appreciate not only their own accomplishments, but those of others. And by extension: they are naturally challenged by the accomplishments of others.
Learning Is A Process: Children learn from each other. Older children learn patience and tolerance towards those children younger than them, and thus less experienced. Older children serve as role models, mentors, and teachers to those younger. One of the benefits of an older child teaching a younger child is that it reinforces previously learned concepts. It becomes a path toward complete mastery of concepts, ones that are often difficult to comprehend, but essential to a good educational foundation. In turn, as younger children, watch older ones, they learn about courtesy, manners, and the elements of conflict resolution. Each child works and learns at his/her own pace: Mixed age groups allow each child the opportunity and ability to learn at an individual pace. In this environment, teachers do not have to set the instruction pace for the entire group. Rather, this is determined by the child. This is a striking difference from traditional education where the teacher determines the pace of instruction and learning, and everyone turns to page 33 of a book when so told. And everyone stays on page 33 until everyone understands the information.
Mixed Age Groups Build Community: When some 2/3 of a class return every year for a three-year period, children develop a strong and stable sense of community. They come to identify themselves as members of a sustained community and begin to define the importance of it. The establishment of such a community aids in the overall development of students as role models for each other.
And Finally, a Sense of Community Brings a Sense of Familiarity: Being in the same classroom year after year allows a teacher to truly learn each individual child’s learning abilities, style, and developmental level. It better enables the teacher to set the learning agenda. Furthermore, the teacher can build on children’s strengths and work on their individual weaknesses.
Why We Promote Art?
The first and foremost idea behind the emphasis placed on children engaging in art is that there are multiple ways of knowing, and thus multiple mediums for the expression of ideas. At Butterflies Academy, multiple ways of expression allow every child a voice with which to communicate their understandings, thoughts and feelings.
Finding a way to express oneself – through artistic means – leads to self-discovery. Therefore, we encourage children to build their language as it increases the possibility of children developing and representing their own ideas, feelings, and thoughts. When children can learn the art of expression, they can communicate with others and exchange ideas, leading to collaboration and social interaction.
How Art is Supported?
Children need the time to explore at their own pace, and educators of Butterflies Academy preschool give their children the gift of time for listening, and in doing so are also to “listen” to the children. In listening to the children, the educators become learners themselves and better teachers as they become able to create a curriculum that is meaningful to both the teacher and the children, offering the children experiences to learn by extension of their interests.
Art is supported in our program and it allows the children to notice and appreciate the elements of art, helps parents and others feel at ease, and satisfies the teachers’ needs as well. By presenting the children’s works of art at Butterflies Academy, we value and respect their ideas
Many different types of materials are offered to engage the children – raw materials, recycled materials, of all sorts of variety – that encourage and provide children with the means to “build their languages”. With the use of the recycled and open-ended materials children can make use of their imagination by creating meanings and uses for these items.
Our art activities promote creativity and provide the tools necessary to explore and engage in different ways to express oneself. We provide our children with the materials to represent their ideas through the various mediums.
Hourly Water Breaks
Our bodies are composed of 70% water. The importance of good hydration, and its function that ensures proper bodily operations cannot be underestimated. Children are more prone to dehydration because in relation to their size, children have a larger proportion of their skin available to lose sweat and be exposed to heat. Additionally, children don’t always recognize that they’re thirsty. If they are not encouraged and reminded, children can easily forget to drink. Thus, Butterflies Academy has instituted the Hourly Water Break to ensure that each child remains well-hydrated throughout the day. We know when a child is hydrated, and when one is not. We follow these guidelines: The amount of water a child needs will vary depending on their age, size and level of activity. For children under 8 years of age, at least 4-6 glasses of water are recommended. For children older than 8 years of age a minimum of 6-8 glasses is recommended.
Happiness as a Key to Success
Butterflies Academy believes that happiness is a key to a successful life. The academy, therefore, maintains that children should flourish in happiness. Why, then, is happiness so important? The fundamental reason why happiness is so important is that it is vital to a child identifying and achieving his or her own goals in life. And, too, happiness, once experienced by children allow them to achieve many other cherished personal ambitions and goals. Also, by being happy, children have the potential to change many other lives just by being who they are: themselves!
No Outdoor Shoes Policy
At Butterflies Academy, we have high regard for hygiene and children’s physical development. Consequently, we have a ‘no outdoor’ shoe policy upheld every day. Children are required to wear grip socks as they provide the comfort and stability one needs while keeping feet clean and dry. They are designed with a non-slip, breathable fit and a functional grip pattern…perfect for our children. Important to a child’s sensory development: allowing children to directly feel what they are walking on allows stronger messages to be sent to the brain about exactly how is best to walk on certain types of surfaces. It is argued that shoes cloud these messages and cause more accidents.
The first and foremost idea behind the emphasis placed on children engaging in art is that there are multiple ways of knowing, and thus multiple mediums for the expression of ideas. At Butterflies Academy, multiple ways of expression allow every child a voice with which to communicate their understandings, thoughts and feelings.
Finding a way to express oneself – through artistic means – leads to self-discovery. Therefore, we encourage children to build their language as it increases the possibility of children developing and representing their own ideas, feelings, and thoughts. When children can learn the art of expression, they can communicate with others and exchange ideas, leading to collaboration and social interaction.
How Art is Supported?
Children need the time to explore at their own pace, and educators of Butterflies Academy preschool give their children the gift of time for listening, and in doing so are also to “listen” to the children. In listening to the children, the educators become learners themselves and better teachers as they become able to create a curriculum that is meaningful to both the teacher and the children, offering the children experiences to learn by extension of their interests.
Art is supported in our program and it allows the children to notice and appreciate the elements of art, helps parents and others feel at ease, and satisfies the teachers’ needs as well. By presenting the children’s works of art at Butterflies Academy, we value and respect their ideas
Many different types of materials are offered to engage the children – raw materials, recycled materials, of all sorts of variety – that encourage and provide children with the means to “build their languages”. With the use of the recycled and open-ended materials children can make use of their imagination by creating meanings and uses for these items.
Our art activities promote creativity and provide the tools necessary to explore and engage in different ways to express oneself. We provide our children with the materials to represent their ideas through the various mediums.
Hourly Water Breaks
Our bodies are composed of 70% water. The importance of good hydration, and its function that ensures proper bodily operations cannot be underestimated. Children are more prone to dehydration because in relation to their size, children have a larger proportion of their skin available to lose sweat and be exposed to heat. Additionally, children don’t always recognize that they’re thirsty. If they are not encouraged and reminded, children can easily forget to drink. Thus, Butterflies Academy has instituted the Hourly Water Break to ensure that each child remains well-hydrated throughout the day. We know when a child is hydrated, and when one is not. We follow these guidelines: The amount of water a child needs will vary depending on their age, size and level of activity. For children under 8 years of age, at least 4-6 glasses of water are recommended. For children older than 8 years of age a minimum of 6-8 glasses is recommended.
Happiness as a Key to Success
Butterflies Academy believes that happiness is a key to a successful life. The academy, therefore, maintains that children should flourish in happiness. Why, then, is happiness so important? The fundamental reason why happiness is so important is that it is vital to a child identifying and achieving his or her own goals in life. And, too, happiness, once experienced by children allow them to achieve many other cherished personal ambitions and goals. Also, by being happy, children have the potential to change many other lives just by being who they are: themselves!
No Outdoor Shoes Policy
At Butterflies Academy, we have high regard for hygiene and children’s physical development. Consequently, we have a ‘no outdoor’ shoe policy upheld every day. Children are required to wear grip socks as they provide the comfort and stability one needs while keeping feet clean and dry. They are designed with a non-slip, breathable fit and a functional grip pattern…perfect for our children. Important to a child’s sensory development: allowing children to directly feel what they are walking on allows stronger messages to be sent to the brain about exactly how is best to walk on certain types of surfaces. It is argued that shoes cloud these messages and cause more accidents.
Schedule of Daily Activities
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to children
Butterflies Academy Preschool admits children of any age, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to children at the school. It does not discriminate based on race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Butterflies Academy Preschool admits children of any age, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to children at the school. It does not discriminate based on race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.