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In the movie, "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy learned that there truly is "no place like home." At The Magellan Academy, we couldn’t agree more. We believe that children thrive and prosper in most home settings with both parents. Most parents would love to able to provide this scenario. However, the reality of life is that sometimes you, as parents, aren’t able to stay home full time to rear your children. While you are at work, busy in conferences, on the phone, and otherwise doing what makes you successful in life, you will have peace of mind knowing that your child(ren) is receiving warm, loving, and stimulating child development nearby. You can even stop by to enjoy lunch with your child(ren), or visit any other time, too. We understand the realities of life and work hard to meet the needs of the children and their working parents. Often, the sad reality is that child care centers do little to try to understand and assist with the challenges of the working family.
At The Magellan Academy, we believe in coming together with you, the parents, to provide a unified approach to rearing your child(ren). Many times, children lead double lives, one at the childcare center, and the other at home. We strive to reinforce the values children learn from their parents at home. Our principles-based learning focuses on the moral aspect of life, so often missing from today's educational institutions, emphasizing love, empathy, honesty, responsibility, citizenship, and respect for oneself and others. We feel that it is so important for the foundations of leadership in the community and at home to be laid from a very early age.
Child development centers differ greatly from childcare centers. The Magellan Academy focuses on the cognitive and physical development of the child. At our inception, we conducted an exhaustive search for a curriculum that met our high philosophical and educational standards. We chose the highly respected A Beka Book curriculum. Our centers are staffed with early childhood development specialists. We require every teacher to have her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential within the first year of employment and many of our teachers are degreed. The Magellan Academy has an extensive training program and we stay abreast of the latest child development breakthroughs through memberships with the Florida Association of Child Care Management (FACCM), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA), and the National Child Care Association (NCCA).
As a parent, you know that every day to a child is filled with exciting new discoveries: New, never-before-experienced events to be amazed with. Magellan Academies strives to enrich the lives of our children by exposing them to art, music, science, and theatre, enhancing their appreciation for the creative sides of life and developing the total child. Also, we introduce the children to the world of computers in order to help prepare them for the future challenges of school and their lives beyond. It is amazing how quickly little ones can grasp the basic concepts of information technology. Our computer labs not only teach children how to operate computers, but reinforce the classroom teaching through fun and educational computer programs designed specifically for each age group. Through it all, we strive to make the learning experience enjoyable – after all, they are kids and they only have one childhood.
The Magellan Academy Emphases
Emphases at The Academy:
- Dedication to excellence
- Well-trained, well-educated, highly-qualified teachers
- Focus on Bible, History, Mathematics, Science and English
- Values-based learning
- Patriotism and learning about American ideals
- IBM PC computer lab (most of us don't use Macs in real life - why should your children learn on them?)
The Magellan Academy is non-denominational, not parochial, and not affiliated with any church. However, we believe firmly that a child, like a boat, whose keel is laid without a sense of who God is and His role in our daily lives, is cast out onto the sea of life without a rudder - that their moral compass is aligned with what feels right to them at the time (situational ethics) or the legal system (which is in a constant flux) - and blows with the wind.
As mentioned earlier, A Beka is our curriculum. Their Foundation Statement says it all for The Magellan Academy, also:
"We are unashamedly Christian and traditional in our approach to education. Because of this, we have often had to go against the tide of the academic establishment in order to meet the highest standards of Christian scholarship. For example, we do not use the pseudo-scientific jargon of the secular educationists in our materials; we prefer to use language that can be easily understood by teacher, parent, and student. We have life-changing ideas to communicate, and we do not want these ideas to be lost to our students.
Our skilled researchers and writers do not paraphrase progressive education textbooks and add Biblical principles; they do primary research in every subject and look at the subject from God's point of view. ("Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" Colossians 2:8.) Our editorial department has rejected the humanistic philosophy and methods of the progressive educators and has turned to original sources and the writings of true scholars.
Of course, the most original source is always the Word of God, which is the only foundation for true scholarship in any area of human endeavor. Thus our publications are built upon the firm foundation of Scriptural truth and are written by dedicated and talented Christian scholars who are well grounded in the practical aspects of classroom teaching. For excellence for your school, you can trust A Beka Book."
Vision Statement
Partnering with parents to provide an unsurpassed loving and nurturing, extended-family environment through which our children will be ensured of having the greatest opportunities to become responsible members of their own families and leaders in our society.
Core Principles
The Magellan Academy shall strive to:
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Maintain our core belief that we and the world in which we live in began with and ends with the will of God. Our teachings will reflect this principle. We will treat all children as they are, children of God, with love, respect, tenderness, and dignity, training them in a manner which is most approving by Him. |
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Provide our children with as many of the essential tools as possible, based on the abilities of each child, in order for them to not merely function, but excel in their adult lives. |
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Partner with parents for a unified approach to rearing their young children. Parent involvement in their children’s development is critical for this to succeed. |
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Use the latest information technology to aid the educational process in the classroom through information available on the internet and hands-on training in our computer laboratories. |
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Provide the highest quality curriculum available, one that dove-tails with our philosophy and one that has been thoroughly researched and recommended by our accreditation association. |
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Meet the needs of the working parent. We believe that in most cases children respond most favorably when reared in the home, particularly in the very early years. However, we also acknowledge that such home care is not always practical. We shall provide the next best environment to the child being at home. To the maximum extent possible, we shall maintain flexible hours of operation to accommodate the working family. |
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Maintain a principles-based approach to our teaching process. In keeping with our Vision Statement, we believe in teaching responsibility, dedication and consideration for others in order to guide the children toward becoming responsible members of their families and our communities. |
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Emphasize the arts and science. Acknowledging that the arts help develop the total person, we shall expose the children to the classics in music, art and theater. The children will also be exposed to the natural sciences in order to gain an appreciation for the world and universe in which we live. |
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Provide many features as core activities. As true value-added resources, we include many features, including foreign language, computer laboratories, and music, as basic core features that other child care companies charge extra for, and will constantly be in search of new activities designed to stimulate and entertain the young mind. |
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Maintain memberships and accreditations with local, regional and national child care associations and accreditation agencies. In keeping with our commitment to provide the highest quality child care bar none, we will maintain a close liaison with associations on the cutting edge of child care. We will maintain accreditation by the appropriate accrediting agency. |
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Serve the highest quality, nutritious meals. Believing that nutritious meals play an important part in the development of the young child, we will only serve the highest quality meats, fruits, vegetables, breads and dairy available from our vendors. Meals will be served in a family-style setting with proper table manners being encouraged. As part of our commitment to exposing our children to ethnic diversities, from time to time various ethnic meals from around the world will be featured in the menu. |
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Provide a safe and secure environment. Believing that the safety, security and well-being of our children is our greatest responsibility, every precaution will taken and each staff member will be completely and thoroughly trained to maintain this environment. |
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Maintain a well trained, high quality staff. Believing that the staff is the single most important aspect of our care to the children, we will only hire the most qualified teachers and care providers. Acknowledging that high teacher turnover is distressing to our children, we will maintain an active retention program. All employees will be involved in our continuing child care in-service training and will be encouraged to further their early childhood development education through local colleges and universities. |
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Provide a warm, friendly atmosphere to both the children and our staff. In keeping with our philosophy that our child care facilities as the next best thing to the children being at home, we will maintain a comfortable and enjoyable environment that puts the child at ease and encourages learning. We believe in positive reinforcement of good behavior. |
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