Mission and Goals

Lake Area Discovery Center... Our Mission and Goals

LADC has been a part of the northeast metro early childhood community since 1999. We are currently in partnership with four area congregations: Redeemer Lutheran Church (our Main Office) and First Lutheran Church/Magnuson Christian School in White Bear Lake; Gethsemane Lutheran Church and School in Maplewood; Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Stillwater.

Our Mission: We, as a part of the early childhood community, week to support parents and children through a creative environment that promotes and teaches Christian values, honors diversity, and fosters fellowship with in the total community.

Program Philosophy: Children entering LADC programs have already established foundations of their personalities. Future growth stems from these early years. One to five year olds bring themselves, as well as part of their home, to the school as they begin this new experience. The teachers in LADC strive to give children the necessary help to build bridges between their home and school lives and provide them an environment which fosters the child's emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual and physical development.

Goal One: To Provide a safe and stimulating environment that nurtures the natural wonder in each child.

Goal Two: To create a setting that fosters the child's physical, social, emotional, cultural, spiritual and intellectual development.

Goal Three: To honor and respect the diversity within each child as well as all of God's creation.

Goal Four: To facilitate enjoyment of school and model a positive attitude toward learning which will allow children to face future experiences with skill and confidence.

Goal Five: To acknowledge the parent(s) as the first and most important teacher and to support them on their parenting journey.

"Play is the highest form of Research." --Albert Einstein

Components of the LADC Philosophy

Our hands-on classroom experience is designed for the teachers to meet children's individual needs and learning styles. All curriculum webs from the UNIT THEME throughout interest areas such as: MUSIC, ART, SCIENCE, READING AND DRAMATIC PLAY. The classroom environment is set up in CENTERS, so children may choose a wide variety of experiences each day. In addition to basing the curriculum on theme-based units, LADC also incorporates a "LETTER OF THE WEEK" into the Discovery and Kinderstart classes' daily schedules.

LADC believes very strongly that the PARENT IS THE "FIRST" AND MOST IMPORTANT TEACHER, so our classrooms are set up to invite parents and children to experience a center together when they arrive at school. Each center contains a SIGN explaining the objective for parents. A detailed explanation of the activities called "A PEEK AT OUR DAY" is available when the parents sign-in.

There is SENSE OF ORDER to LADC classrooms. All shelves and bins are labeled for children. TEACHER MADE MATERIALS AND GAMES are widely used because they meet children's individual needs. Teachers create cognitive games for each unit which are always SELF-CORRECTING, allowing children the ability to work at their own pace.

Each week, children are immersed into the SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS for the week through a wide variety of daily activities. LADC curriculum always contain daily Christian songs, prayer before meals, and a modeling of Christian values by the teachers. Once a month the 3, 4 and 5 year old children attend WORSHIP TIME which is a hands-on BIBLE-BASED LESSON written and taught by LADC staff. Pastors and Christian Education Directors at each church are always welcome to be a part of this Worship experience for children.

BIRTHDAYS are another wonderful opportunity for the program to celebrate each child as a special gift from God! This is done through a blessing that is sung while glitter is sprinkled on their head. It is to remind them that they are a child of God and that they sparkle in God's Love!

Other opportunities for families to experience Christian programming are at our annual CHRISTMAS PROGRAM and the various FAMILY NIGHTS put on throughout the year.