Welcome to the Plaza de Niños Preschool!

Located in the state-of-the-art Francis Institute on the MCC Penn Valley campus, the Guadalupe Center’s Plaza de Niños (PDN) is committed to preparing children for kindergarten and beyond. PDN believes that young children learn best by doing, which requires active thinking and experimentation.

PDN’s focus on language development sets it apart from other early childhood facilities in the Kansas City area. The center provides a bilingual experience for all children. In each classroom, there is an instructor who speaks English and one who speaks Spanish.

As a participant in the federal Head Start program for preschool children, PDN helps meet the needs of low-income families and children with disabilities. PDN is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This accreditation ensures that PDN meets the 10 standards for excellence in early childhood education.

The Plaza de Niños Curriculum
PDN practices the Creative Curriculum, a philosophy that embraces the fact that young children learn best by doing. The curriculum covers eight domains of learning: language development, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, and physical health and development. Using these domains and their knowledge of how children learn, teachers plan creative lessons. Each classroom is organized in several different play areas. PDN believes that play provides the foundation for academic learning and school readiness.

The curriculum at PDN is also specialized for each child. PDN works with every child to develop his/her own plans and goals based on the child’s needs. Once individual goals are set, teachers prepare lesson plans based on the needs of the children. The learning progress of each child is documented and shared with parents during home visits and parent/teacher conferences. Parents are encouraged to be involved by working with teachers to set goals for their child.