Our Story
TEACHING CHILDREN THROUGH PLAY IN A NURTURING AND DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Since our inception in 1976, our goal has been to provide non-profit, high quality child care to working families. Over the years, we have grown from a single center in the basement of All Saints’ Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland to multiple accredited early learning, extended day, and summer camp programs in Montgomery County, MD and Washington, DC.
Our Mission
To create and advance high quality, diverse educational communities that teach children the foundations of life-long learning and social responsibility.
About Us
Play isn’t just fun, it’s fundamental!
Wonders Early Learning + Extended Day is a nonprofit service provider of NAEYC accredited and licensed early childhood education, licensed before and after school care, and licensed summer camp programs. Our programs are located in Montgomery County, MD, and Washington, DC. The child-centered and hands-on learning found in our early childhood and school age programs are the result of careful planning, educational expertise, thoughtful oversight, dedicated educators, and commitment to our mission. Our programs support today’s workforce, while growing the workforce of tomorrow.
Children need playtime, it is crucial for healthy development. Children learn about the world by exploring ideas, manipulating objects, investigating creative materials, and problem-solving with others. Using imagination and creativity, children take on new roles and test new concepts. Wonders educators use observation and planning to create learning experiences that are intentional and provide meaningful context for children to practice skills and express ideas. Our curriculum and teaching practices foster the development of children’s cognitive, physical, and social-emotional learning (SEL).
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We create classroom communities that are welcoming, respectful, and equitable. Children do not need to leave any part of themselves at the door. This approach extends to the families in our programs, as we actively cultivate connection between home and school. Social justice and anti-bias education support our work of ensuring that every child feels known, can identify what is fair, actively advocate for themselves and others, and work to bring about change. We provide children the tools to value and celebrate human similarities and differences.
OUR VOICE
Our leadership teams advocate for increased public investment in the child care sector by lending their voices and experiences to help inform policies that impact our work in the region.
OUR COMMITMENT
Our mission informs all of our work and guides us in creating high-quality, safe, and responsive learning environments. We believe, and research demonstrates, that positive relationships between children and their educators are essential to children’s learning and development. Wonders is committed to creating positive work environments and meaningful career paths for our workforce – investing in educators is an investment in children.
OUR INVESTMENT
We invest in our workforce by prioritizing compensation and nurturing meaningful careers. Our educators are regularly engaged in efforts towards continuous improvement in their skills and knowledge in the classroom. Approximately 80% of our annual budget is directed to staff compensation. Wonders values its educators and leaders.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We create classroom communities that are welcoming, respectful, and equitable. Children do not need to leave any part of themselves at the door. This approach extends to the families in our programs, as we actively cultivate connection between home and school. Social justice and anti-bias education support our work of ensuring that every child feels known, can identify what is fair, actively advocate for themselves and others, and work to bring about change. We provide children the tools to value and celebrate human similarities and differences.
OUR VOICE
Our leadership teams advocate for increased public investment in the child care sector by lending their voices and experiences to help inform policies that impact our work in the region.
OUR COMMITMENT
Our mission informs all of our work and guides us in creating high-quality, safe, and responsive learning environments. Research demonstrates, that positive relationships between children and their educators are essential to children’s learning and development. Wonders is committed to creating positive work environments and meaningful career paths for our workforce – investing in educators is an investment in children.
OUR INVESTMENT
We invest in our workforce by prioritizing compensation and nurturing meaningful careers. Our educators are regularly engaged in efforts towards continuous improvement in their skills and knowledge in the classroom. Approximately 80% of our annual budget is directed to staff compensation. Wonders values its educators and leaders.
Our Goals
We strive to create a learning community that addresses the needs of children, families, and staff, which we believe creates an environment that encourages agency, creativity, and curiosity. The goals guiding our work are:
