The Village Preschool & Learning Center

Our Teachers

Cynthia Cardoza-Cartwright, Program Director / Teacher

Cynthia continues to work towards her undergrad degree in Early Childhood Education & Child Psychology. She enjoys working out, camping, paddle-boarding, hiking, supporting her Seattle Seahawks, but most of all, spending time with her husband and her family, including three sisters, her father, her grown children, and three grandchildren! Her favorite part of teaching is developing relationships with the children that she teaches and their families.

Philosophy

Play-Based.

In a play-based program, children choose activities based on their current interests. The play-based classroom is broken up into sections, such as:

• Home or Kitchen
• Science Area
• Water Table
• Reading Nook
• Space with blocks and other toys or other sites.

Teachers encourage the kids to play, facilitating social skills along the way.

Below are key elements that help distinguish play-based learning from other programs.

They include:

• Unstructured: There are no rules or predetermined plans to guide activities to allow children to explore and discover as they play.
• Enjoyable: For it to qualify as play, children must enjoy the experience, even if there may be some disagreements here and there.
• Self-chosen: Adults may initiate and invite children to play, but children are not required to oblige, and they are the ones who determine how they’ll play and for how long.
• Process-oriented: Focus is on the process of play rather than a learning objective.
• Make-believe: To spur creativity, activities often involve make-believe games.

Location

We are located at the most southern end of the Pony Village Mall caddy-corner from Maurice’s and next door to Epuerto soccer fields. We look forward to meeting your family!