Leaders
Welcome to One of a Kind. My name is Nasha N. Bean and I'm the Acting Program Director. My career in Early Childhood Education (ECE) started 20 years ago in Colorado and this is where my passion lies. I believe that ECE is the gateway to future education, and believe that if we spark an interest in learning, young children will carry that spark and thirst for learning for life.
I moved to Lawrence in September of 2008 with my family. I have four children ages ranging from 15 to 20 years, and also have one grandchild who is 1 year old. I come from a large family and have been a caregiver since the age of 16 when I began babysitting.
I am a supporter of my career choice and see the great need for early education and childcare. I currently have half my associates degree in early education and will be finishing my degree in fall of 2009.
I look forward to serving your family and our community by provided the necessary tools for your child to be come a healthy well-rounded child, student and adult.
Thank You, Nasha
Curriculum
Our high-quality curriculum is structured around the children’s abilities and readiness to learn and focus on the areas of gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive milestones.
Starting in Infant I, we begin to teach and use several signs from the American Sign Language set; this helps the children communicate their needs before they can use verbal speech.
In Toddler I, we start using individualized curriculum lessons, wherein each child has a folder and we practice with them age and developmentally appropriate activities in the gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive areas (for example, stacking blocks or pointing to various body parts). Each child's folder accompanies him/her to the next classroom throughout the child's term at OOAK. All levels are taught through a process called Errorless Learning, a technique where tasks are broken into their minimum components and taught using consistent positive reinforcement. Folders contain target skills individualized to each child. Each child has five or six different target skills per week that we will focus on with her or him. The children’s progress, with respect to skills, is recorded weekly. The criterion for mastery of a particular skill is that at least two teachers witness and record at least three consecutive successful performances of the skill. The fourth successful performance is noted as a star, this means a complete pass for the skill. If the criterion is not met, the target skill will continue to be prompted the next week.
Every child is different and therefore each child masters particular skills at different times. Our folders assist teachers in identifying what skills children have mastered and what activities we can offer during the day so that the child’s experiences enable them to grow. Folder activities are done throughout the day at various times.
Staff
The staff members at One of a Kind truly are "one of a kind!" They come from a variety of backgrounds and all share a love for children. Many of our teachers are university students studying various subjects; others have chosen early education as a career.
Each teacher receives specific training from the classroom’s Lead teacher and Director that is appropriate for the children under their care. In addition, staff development training is held regularly. All teachers/staff are educated on: symptoms of illness, signs of abuse and neglect, and first aid.
Each classroom has a Lead Teacher, Assistant Teachers, and Afternoon Lead (departure) Teacher. The Lead Teacher is in charge of structuring your child’s day using age appropriate lesson plans. The Afternoon Lead and Assistant Teachers help carry out the lesson plans.
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