Programs & Curriculum

The author first learned about bucket-filling at a parenting workshop. The speaker was an expert in infant brain research. The concept is simple…it is helpful to think of every child as being born with an invisible bucket. The bucket represents a child’s mental and emotional health. You can’t see the bucket, but it’s there. It is the responsibility of the parent or caregiver to fill the child’s bucket. When you hold, caress, touch, sing, play and provide loving care, attention and safety you fill a child’s bucket.

In addition to being loved children must be taught how to love others. Children who learn to express kindness and love lead happier lives. When you love and care about others and show that love with what you say and do you feel good and fill your own bucket too.

Utilizing this concept, caregivers and parents model bucket-filling. Many school districts nationwide have embraced the bucket-filling philosophy and so has The Tender Nest.

Get the book, read it with your children, practice its’ “FILL-OSOPHY” and watch as you and your child develop into bucket-fillers and not bucket-dippers.

Research shows that children learn by doing and they need many opportunities to explore and grow. Preschool activities foster creativity and promote cognitive, social, language and physical development. Appropriate activities build self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning.

The curriculum that is utilized by The Tender Nest emphasizes safety, promotes predictable routine (always a comfort to children), includes open-ended activities and materials that make learning fun, encourages participation in art, music, dramatic play and creative movement, promotes multi-sensory experiences and invites exploration and discovery. In addition, Tender Nest employs a phonetic awareness reading program.

When a child “graduates” from our program, they will be emergent readers, socially prepared for Kindergarten and will have enjoyed the learning experience.