{"id":371,"date":"2026-04-02T18:32:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/?page_id=371"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:32:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:32:53","slug":"our-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/our-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n \n Meet Marshall<\/span>\n <\/a>\n
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Welcome to Marshall<\/div>\n
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Student Resources<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tResidence Halls\/Living<\/a>\n\n\t\t\tStudent Affairs<\/a>\n\n\t\t\tStudent Health<\/a>\n\n\t\t\tStudent Policies<\/a>\n\n\t\t\tColleges & Schools<\/a>\n\n\t\t\tTitle IX Office<\/a>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \n\n\t\n\tRequest Info<\/span>\n<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tadmissions<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tapply now<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tonline learning<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\trequest information<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tschedule of courses<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tacademic calendar<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tbert<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tregistrar<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tlibrary<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\thuman resources<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\thousing<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\thr<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\twork order<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tregistration<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tjobs<\/a>,\n\t\t\t\t\tmubert<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChild Development Academy<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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At the Child Development Academy, we hold a strong image of the child as capable, curious, and full of potential. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, we believe children construct knowledge through relationships, exploration, and meaningful experiences. We view children as active participants in their learning, educators as thoughtful researchers and guides, families as essential partners, and the environment as a powerful teacher. Through observation, documentation, and reflection, we strive to make children\u2019s thinking visible and to deepen our understanding of how children learn.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n

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Within the university setting, the purpose of early childhood education is multidimensional. Children require a safe, nurturing environment where families feel confident that their children are respected, supported, and valued. At the same time, children benefit from an engaging learning community that honors their individual interests, dispositions, and developmental pathways.<\/p>\n

Our classrooms are designed as environments that invite discovery, creativity, and inquiry. Educators carefully construct spaces and experiences that encourage children to ask questions, explore materials, and express their ideas in many ways. Through play, project work, and collaboration with peers and teachers, children build social, emotional, physical, and intellectual skills while developing a strong sense of identity and belonging.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n

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Families are essential partners in this learning community. We recognize the unique challenges faced by student parents balancing family life, academic responsibilities, and work, and we strive to provide a supportive and responsive environment for both children and families.<\/p>\n

As a university-affiliated program, the Academy also serves as a learning laboratory where Marshall University students can engage in meaningful, real-world experiences within the field of early childhood education. In collaboration with university faculty, educators reflect on teaching practices and contribute to a culture of inquiry, reflection, and continuous learning.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n

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The Child Development Academy operates according to the principles of best practice established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We are committed to creating an inclusive community that respects the individuality of each child and family while celebrating the shared humanity that connects us all.<\/p>\n

Through thoughtful environments, intentional teaching, and strong relationships, we strive to make learning visible and meaningful for children, families, and educators alike.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":945,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-371","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/945"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":372,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/371\/revisions\/372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/cda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}