OUR CULTURE
Our culture is one of friendliness and thoughtfulness. We believe children and their development is our core focus. We respect each child's unique style of learning. We believe that learning and important discoveries are made by playing together. We believe in both child-initiated and teacher-directed activities. We believe this is a safe place where we foster the love of learning to instill lifelong long learners by encouraging them to think creatively, critically and at higher levels.
OUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Our educational philosophy is very simple but requires daily effort and intentionality - Make children feel safe, valued and loved. Then they can achieve any and everything! We live by the words of the great Maya Angelou:
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
OUR STAFF
We are proud of our Keystone STARS affiliation and are committed to participating in quality improvement initiatives that reflect the highest standards of care and education. Our staff is trained in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, specifically birth through 4th grade. We provide ongoing professional development for our teachers including the opportunity to further their education. These policies and procedures ensure the highest level of care and education for our children. We are a committed and dedicated community of caregivers and educators with more than 75 years of combined experience! Our Health and Safety best practices, include frequent proper hand washing, fourteen step diaper changing procedures, and sanitization of all toys and equipment throughout the day in every classroom. All staff is certified in First Aide and Pediatric CPR.
OUR FACILITY
We have over 9100 square feet with 7 classrooms, a Library and indoor play area. We know that children learn best through play and provide several opportunities for outdoor activities.
We are proud to provide meals for all our students -Infants through School Age. Our onsite Food Service Manager prepares healthy and nutritious meals provided by the CBS Kosher Food Program that meet the Child and Adult Food Program Federal Guidelines. This includes breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks daily. We are a peanut nut free environment and encourage parents to please keep us updated regarding allergies and special dietary concerns.
In addition, we offer an enrichment drama program taught by qualified instructors from Horizon Theatre as well as provide opportunities to explore the community through weekly field trips to the library and other seasonal locations.
As a Norristown native and vested in my community, I am humbly coming to you with over 20 years of experience and dedication in the education field. After realizing at a young age that I was interested in the development of young children, I attended Temple University and received my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary/Special Education. I began my career in early childcare and then transitioned to the public school system. I was an educator in the Norristown School District for 15 years. During my time providing service to the youth in our community I wore many hats, including community and school liaison, student council advisor and afterschool coordinator. After leaving the school district, I was the founder of the 21st century Afterschool program in Chester PA. With my passion for Early Childcare Education and my ambition of owning my ECE center, I worked as an Academy Director for 3 years in Philadelphia PA. I am excited to bring my diverse background and 2 decades of knowledge and experience to the Norristown community.
THE MADDEN SCHOOL FOUNDER
Yvette Madden
