About Buen Dia

Philosophy and Goals

At Buen Día Family School, the Director and Teachers form relationships with each family that empowers the child and promotes self-esteem. We feel that if children learn to see themselves as competent individuals in these early years, they will be confident and better able to meet the challenges presented in everyday life.

A curriculum which emphasizes the value of self-esteem, the importance of personal discovery and the respect for individual differences is especially critical in San Francisco, where 53% of families (according to San Francisco Unified School District) are non-traditional and where there is great ethnic diversity. Many educators believe that young children begin to develop awareness both of differences and of socially prevailing biases by the time they are three. With this in mind, Buen Día is committed to providing a flexible curriculum responsive to the needs of children. Although there are structured activities during the day, we believe that allowing children to explore their environment in their own way is closer to the basic nature of early learning. As teachers we examine our own perceptions and attempt to interact with children in an open and accepting manner.

The Buen Día program integrates not only materials and activities that are sensitive to the uniqueness of each child but also fosters a conscious way of being, talking and acting according to the needs of each child. The teachers try to make the children feel good and comfortable about themselves and the characteristics of their cultures and families that make them special. For this reason, the parents are part of the “Buen Día Family” too, and constitute the best resource to enrich our program.

At the beginning of each year, we start with an activity we call “Personality Bags/Bolsas de Personalidad”. Each child brings a bag to school with some special things to share at group. This is a way to learn about them and to validate who they are. We also have a family unit called “Nuestras Familias”; each child brings in labeled photos of his or her family which are displayed on a giant poster in the school so that everyone can see all the kinds of families there are. Throughout the year we celebrate many holidays in nonreligious ways and encourage parents to participate in a variety of ways – from making a group presentation regarding a celebration of another interest to making snacks with the children as well as working on fundraising projects.

To give each child an opportunity to act out his or her own story, we offer a dramatic storytelling project at a grouptime session. The author of the story directs it and chooses his/her own role as well as those the other children will play. This is an empowering process that enhances each child’s sense of worth and love of storytelling, especially since the stories are not censored. This activity is fun, nurturing and encourages the children to work together and appreciate each other’s ideas.

We also have many small group activities that strengthen self-confidence and promote awareness of cultures and lifestyles. A primary goal is to take collective responsibility for the children’s growth and development. We respect the experience of each child and try to center our curriculum around the ideas and interests of the children.