For over 30 years, the Atlanta Children’s Shelter has been successfully providing high-quality Early Childhood Education for the children of homeless families in metro Atlanta.
During this time, the Early Childhood Education Program has evolved from a basic childcare facility to a full-fledged learning facility focusing on providing every child with a solid educational foundation that inspires lifelong learning.
- STEAM Curriculum
- Nutrition Program
- Health & Wellness Program
- Enrichment Activities
Curriculum
In 2011, the Atlanta Children’s Shelter was proud to introduce and implement a revised curriculum for the Early Childhood Education Program.
We have recently implemented the Creative Curriculum© which stresses the importance of learning through direct hands-on interaction. Through the Creative Curriculum© children are provided with the opportunity to learn about the world around them through hands-on activities which require active thinking and experimenting to discover how things work.
In addition, the Creative Curriculum© provides parents with the ability to stay actively involved with their child’s educational progress through an online system which allows them to view lesson plans and track their child’s progress in the classroom.
Nutrition Programs
There are numerous studies which have established a direct correlation between proper nutrition and educational development during early childhood.
Through a generous grant from the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation, and the assistance of numerous community partners, the Atlanta Children’s Shelter created an Early Childhood Nutrition Program focused on ensuring each child enrolled receives two healthy meals and two healthy snacks each day enrolled at the Shelter.
Enrichment Programs
We believe that education can many different forms and that it is important to provide ACS children with as many opportunities to learn about the world they live as possible. To help ensure all the children at the Atlanta Children’s Shelter have the best possible opportunity to learn we have developed a robust enrichment program focused on;
- Foreign Language
- Music Education
- Fitness and Dance
- Art Education
In addition to the numerous in class opportunities, the Atlanta Children’s Shelter partners with several community groups to host educational field trips which makes learning more interactive.
Health and Wellness
At the Atlanta Children’s Shelter one of our goals is to ensure that the children in our care are healthy. We are fortunate to have created a partnership with the Center for Interrelational Science and Pediatrics (CISP).
CISP visits weekly to conduct wellness checks, prescribe medication, and other medical services to the children with permission from the child’s parent or guardian. As a result of this partnership, the Shelter has seen a reduction in the absenteeism of children due to illness, as well as a reduction in the spread of infectious diseases and children with prolonged or chronic health conditions.
The Childcare Program is dedicated to always providing the homeless children in its care with a healthy, safe and nurturing environment and CISP helps the Shelter achieve this.
