Livingston Street is a New York State licensed daycare program for children aged 3 – 5 years old. We are open Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM and located in downtown Kingston, NY
OUR MISSION & GOALS
At Livingston Street Early Childhood Community, emotional well-being and social competence are nourished in young children through the creation of meaningful relationships with a diverse group of people, the development of early literacy and communication skills, and school wide participation in the process of community service. We have five goals in support of our mission:
- To provide a safe and fun place for children to explore and develop their own sense of identity.
- To create relationships of compassion, trust, and respect, and to provide a network of social support, community engagement, and cooperative spirit for children, families and staff.
- To provide an integrated education, recognizing that social/emotional, cognitive and physical development are inextricably linked.
- To create an early childhood community that embraces the diversity of the broader community.
- To promote the ideals of community involvement.
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE CARE
Livingston Street is dedicated to supporting young children and their families by providing socially responsible & responsive care. We focus on relationship-building, communication skills, and child-centered play, with the understanding that our earliest years of life are for establishing a healthy and strong developmental foundation.
Here, you will see children playing, moving, getting messy, taking risks, emoting genuinely, navigating each other, and nurturing strong relationships with peers.
ALL OUTDOORS, ALL YEAR ROUND
Alongside our social and emotional focus, our program is dedicated to providing immersive experiences in nature. The care we provide is almost exclusively outdoors – we operate out of several outdoor classrooms throughout the year, in all weather and seasons, only going inside for nap and extreme weather emergencies. On average, children & staff spend about 5 hours a day outside.
In order to be successful while caregiving in the outdoors, we follow a few guiding principles:
SAFE VS. UNSAFE — Firstly, we recognize the outdoors as a safe space. This safe space has the potential to become temporarily unsafe on occasion (during a hail storm, for example), but we generally view the environment as a space we can be in and adapt to. Our first defense against inclement weather is dressing appropriately. Our second defense is familiarity – spending lots of time outdoors helps us learn to recognize warning signs and act as needed.
EXPERIENCING DISCOMFORT — Secondly, adapting to an environment/the weather can take time, and can involve discomfort. A child may cry when they are cold, and we will allow them to do this. We will help them adapt and regulate by modeling play, encouraging connection with peers, offering supportive language, and especially, allowing them space to self-regulate and trusting that they will do so. Livingston Street teachers are specifically tuned into the child’s social and emotional needs, which means we are always working to support their success in our program. We will allow a certain degree of discomfort so that the child can strengthen, learn how to adapt, and be able to do so on their own
SHELTERING INDOORS — Thirdly, our overall goal is to be outside. However, we are always ready to shelter inside with small groups or the whole school as needed. If a child is in danger of becoming too cold, a teacher will take them inside for a short time to warm up, usually incorporating this into the routine by using this time for a bathroom run, to heat up snack, or prepare for naptime. If a greater amount of children are in need of time indoors to warm, teachers may opt to have snack or lunch in the classroom. If the weather becomes inclement for the whole group, we will all shelter inside as needed.
COMMUNICATION — Finally, our success lies in clear and active communication. If you are concerned for the safety of your child, or would like to know more about our outdoor caregiving practices, please speak directly with Livingston Street staff. If you would like advice regarding how parents adapt to outdoor caregiving, like finding the right gear or strategies for getting dressed, you may contact our Parent Representative, typically a veteran Livingston Street community member.
