Hi! I'm sure you are all doing super great today! We are too, in fact, we are so excited about our post this week. We had fun doing this interview and we're sure that you will get a lot of key takeaway from this just like what we had.
Our feature
d web blog will talk about a Senior Lead Teacher and Assistant Director of a well-known day care center in Bedford-Stuyvesant. She is no other than, Ms. Neidylin Morales of The Katmint Learning Initiative.
Let's tell you what The Katmint Learning Initiative is about. This is a childcare organization offering childcare services coupled with preschool components. They take the 'Initiative' in structuring their lesson plans & daily routines to be the proper first steps for students.
Their program, as they say, is truly unique among others. They offer quality enrichment to their students and introduce them to different topics and subjects on a daily basis. Not only that, they challenge their students individually, they also provide the opportunity to learn specific subjects before they are taught. This enables them to be ahead of the curriculum and accelerate their learning experience as a whole. We quote, "Children learn through play and through hands-on activities." We totally agree to what Neidylin said. 'Different folks of different strokes' is how they treat each student. They design their lesson plans according to each pupil to be able to gain a sense of independence, ability to be creative, and to encourage active participation, and to ultimately be enjoyable!
What sets The Katmint Learning Initiative apart from other day care facilities is their quality enrichment programs. One of the services they offer is providing childcare service with pre-school components. Their program is completely different and they are affordable. The team offer families with options that are flexible. They give time and they focus on their daily lesson plans and activities to fit the needs of their children, not as a whole, but as individuals. Their curriculum consists of the following subjects: math skills, language and literacy, pre-writing skills, science, gardening, arts and crafts, cooking, role-play, music and movement, fitness and much more. They are inspired by The Bank Street Model philosophy for early education. At The Katmint Learning Initiative, the team recognizes that the important factor in driving student achievement is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. The group is committed to attracting, developing, celebrating and retaining great educators to help promote success for all students.
One of Neidylin's proudest moments is guiding her students to gain a sense of independence every day by creating a job chart in her classroom. It makes the student feel proud to have a responsibility and they own it! Also, when she is teaching a lesson and recognizes that her students are absorbing the information and are actually learning, it makes her feel fulfilled as an educator.
The biggest mistake that she sees parents make is saying “no” to their young child constantly. Children get immuned to this word, and will ultimately lose its significance during their toddler years. Instead, she recommends to offer options to your child. Neidylin also recommends saying, "You can have this but you can’t have that," and explain why the child cannot have that option. An automatic 'no' will frustrate your child. Giving them an explanation will soothe them
. She assures you that 8 times out of 10, your kids are likely to understand.
Her goals for this year are to continue to challenge her students. Designing intricate assessment forms so the team can better monitor each child’s progress is also one of which. The assistant director wants to focus on community building this year, making ties with other programs that share a similar mission. A long term goal is to ultimately contribute to expanding their school.
I know that some of you, lovely people, would want to know how to get started to be involved in this kind of mission. Well, let us tell you how Neidylin went about it. She was looking for the opportunity to do what she loves - teaching young toddlers. She heard about The Katmint, and she knew that she would make a great asset to the school and would be able to carry out The Katmint’s mission. On her first visit, it only took a few moments to realize that The Katmint was a place that was going to take off and become one of the best preschool options in Bed-Stuy.
Neidylin, herself, is also a mother. Her best parenting tip would be to listen to your children. She wants to allow them to have a sense of independence. "Don’t be the parent that entertains your child on the weekends with “T.V”, rather, take them to the museum, nature trips, develop their social skills, and treat them like little adults. Children learn best from parents and then teachers." she added.
Because Neidylin is so passionate about teaching, she does not feel like she is working at all.
The school's program is an in-home day care coupled with preschool components with a long wait list of families. It won’t be long until they expand the school. They will soon offer a range of services to their neighbors in Bed-Stuy. "We are working hard every day to make that goal happen." Neidylin said.
For more information about The Katmint Learning Initiative, please visit their website www.thekatmint.com. They are located at 545 Quincy Street , Brooklyn N.Y. 11221. You can call them at (347) 453 6609 or email at [email protected] .
