Tender Tots

Our Teachers

++Meet Aletheia++

Greetings! I’m Aletheia “Ms. Pooh” McCaskill, owner/lead teacher. I have been married for 24 years & the very proud mother of 2 very special young ladies. I have my Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, my Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Development, Magna Cum Laude & my BA/MA in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. After 7 years of serving in the private work sector as a computer analyst/programmer, I diligently began serving the child care community. It has been a wonderful journey for the past 20+ years. Time flies when your having fun! I have absolutely no regrets!

I am an active member of NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care), the Association for Early Learning Leaders,NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), Vice President-Early Learning Division & COPE Chairwomen (Committee On Political Engagement) for SEIU, Local 500, Level 6 of Maryland Child Care Credential, Maryland EXCELS, Certified in Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, former candidate of State Senate, District 44 and I provide support services for many local outreach organizations. It truly believe it takes a village/community to raise a child.

I commend the curious child. Self-discovery and building social skills are as equally important as learning the fundamentals of reading, writing and math. My passion for early child care doesn’t stop here at daycare. I love mentoring & my political adventures are in advancing state government policies that pertain to early learning/child development & women’s policies. I would love to write children’s books (only in the mental process for now).

My philosophy of education is extensive. In the largest sense, I believe education serves many purposes. It builds character & connects us to the unknown. Yes, to some degree, education can lead to financial prosperity. But, the measure of wealth can only be defined by an individual’s character.

Meet Fatima

Salutations, parents, grandparents, and caregivers: My name is Fatima Whitmore, and I am the licensed co-provider here at Tender Tots. I have been caring for children and preparing little minds for kindergarten since 2002. We have created an environment that will inspire infants, toddlers, preschoolers’, and school age children to explore; using their own knowledge, individual work, and play habits. I am trained in Healthy Beginnings, and Early Start curriculum, MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education) regulations, CPR & First Aid, and Level Six for Maryland Child Care Credential. I am also, an active and current member of the NAFCC (National Association of Family Childcare), SEIU Local 500, I currently serves as Secretary on the Executive Board of SEIU, & a member of SEIU C.O.P.E. (Committee on Political Education) committee.

I have an A.A.S. degree in Early Childhood Development, and a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. I believe that healthy habits and strong emotional bonds with parents and caregivers helps young children reach their full potential. I have the background to help foster the ability of children to learn their identity and how to manage their feelings. I love teaching because I enjoy watching children grow and learn. Here at Tender Tots we have created a safe nurturing and supportive environment that will promote all stages of development.

Philosophy

We are committed to modeling lifelong learning for our children through their active pursuance of continuing education: college coursework, workshop participation and presentation, reflection on child development and curriculum-related issues during staff meetings. Our leadership will continue striving for the necessary monetary support and flexibility in scheduling that will permit our staff to remain involved in increasing their own knowledge bases. The learning environment and curriculum is primarily child-centered with our staff purposefully and masterfully engaging children in developmentally appropriate learning activities. Lesson plans and activities for our preschoolers are compiled from carefully selected curriculum guides that have been approved by MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education). We fully embrace families into our activities. We graciously accept their compliments and constructive criticism knowing that we can only maintain our high-quality standards with their involvement, interest and feedback. Communication with parents occurs frequently in written and/or verbal form and, more formally, through scheduled parent-teacher conferences. We subscribe to Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) advocated by the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), and to higher quality standards than those required by the State of Maryland for licensing purposes. Teachers set the stage for learning by being knowledgeable about expectations for each child in their care, arranging an age-appropriate learning environment, and planning an age-appropriate daily program. Since children are always learning, teachers plan interesting activities, but also use spontaneous teachable moments throughout the day. They follow up learning by communicating with parents about children’s individual needs. It is important that all children begin a positive learning journey here and enter elementary school ready to continue learning. We value the feedback from our community schools that children progress very well in further schooling after attending preschool programs at Tender Tots. We continue to communicate with the local elementary schools’ once children move out of our preschool program. Our school age program supports the development of the elementary age child by providing a high-quality recreational program before and after school.

About our program

++The Goals Of Our Curriculum++

The most important goal of our early childhood curriculum is to help children become enthusiastic learners. This means encouraging children to be active and creative explorers who are not afraid to try out their ideas and to think their own thoughts. Our goal is to help children become independent, self-confident, inquisitive learners. We are teaching them how to learn, not just in preschool, but all through their lives. We’re allowing them to learn at their own pace and in the ways that are best for them. We are giving the children good habits and attitudes, particularly a positive sense of themselves, which will make a difference throughout their lives.

We use a fun literacy approach with our curriculum. Creative Curriculum is the base curriculum structure that we use supplemented by several other curriculums such as

• Early Start
• Gee Whiz Curriculum
• Ready Rosie
• ReadingTeacher.com
• ABC Mouse.com

Our curriculum identifies goals in all areas of development:

Social: to help children feel comfortable in school, trust their new environment, make friends, and feel they are a part of the group.

Emotional: to help children experience pride and self-confidence, develop independence and self-control, and have a positive attitude toward life.

Cognitive: to help children become confident learners by letting them try out their own ideas and experience success, and by helping them acquire learning skills such as the ability to solve problems, ask questions and use words to describe their ideas, observations, and feelings.

Physical: to help children increase their large and small muscle skills and feel confident about what their bodies can do.

The activities we plan for children, the way we organize the environment, select toys and materials, plan the daily schedule, and talk with children, are all designed to accomplish the goals of our curriculum and give your child a successful start in school.

Assessments of infants & young children’s development should be done on a regular and periodic basis because of the rapid behavior changes that occur in the early years (American Academy of Peds., 2001).  For this reason, we use the ASQ-3 screening system (ages 1 month-5 1/2 years old) & Preschool Progress Reports (Hayes School Publishing Co., Inc.) for age 2-5 years old. 

Although our infants are not subject to a daily curriculum, we do follow developmental guidelines for normal development.  If ever a time you/we feel these needs are not being met, you/we may suggest additional early intervention services.

Our focus is on the WHOLE child and we will provide information to caregivers that describe age-appropriate, early-childhood practices. Every child needs positive, consistent, developmentally-appropriate experiences to maximize brain development.  Because of that, we are here to provide you with that critical, nurturing care.