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ProgramsCedar River Academy bases it's early childhood programming on the nationally-recognized guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). These guidelines, called Developmentally Appropriate Practices, provide a framework for making decisions about curriculum and instruction in the early grades, and reflect the current best practices in the field. This framework requires us to consider several sets of information: First, what is age-appropriate, based on child development research. Our second consideration is the child's needs and interests. We individualize our instructional practices to support each child's unique learning style. Lastly, we consider social and cultural contexts for learning. Families provide a huge support for children's learning. At Cedar River Academy, we strive to create a vibrant community that includes parents, teachers, and children. We create respectful, non-sectarian curriculum that addresses the individuality of each child, and each family's cultural traditions. Our faculty and staff form a professional learning community. Cedar River Academy encourages teachers and staff to participate in a wide range of learning opportunities, such as college classes and professional workshops, in order to keep them abreast of the latest research in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and educational best practices. While developmentally-appropriate practices guide our instructional methodology, our instructional content is based on the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, and is influenced by our children's own interests. Other opportunities are evident given our naturally beautiful, country campus, and its close proximity to the Seattle and Tacoma area. Cedar River Academy curricula is defined as three segments: elementary school for grades pre-kindergarten through 5th grade; middle school for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades; and high school for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. For the 2007/2008 academic year, we offer pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade programs. These programs will be extended each year to include higher grade levels. The minimum requirement for an additional class is five students. The maximum number of students in upper grades is sixteen students. Some classes within a curricula segment will include multiple grade level students to maximize the effectiveness of the program. Mixed grade-level classes will not generally span defined curricula segments (a 5th grade student will generally not be included in a middle school class). We will expand the program as rapidly as enrollment and facility capacity allow.
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