Programs
"Children's play is not just kids' stuff. Children's play is rather the stuff of most future inventions." Fred Rogers
Infant/Toddler Program
Our goal is to provide high-quality care to your infant or toddler by hiring the most loving and nurturing staff. We provide safe and healthy environments with attention given to space, room atmosphere, and content of play equipment. We provide a nurturing environment and trains staff for babies so that your baby doesn't have to wait for attention when it's needed. Your little one enjoys a small class size at our centers, allowing for as much one-on-one time with their teachers as possible.
In addition to hugs and snuggles, our teachers use an individualized curriculum for each infant and toddler through the Creative Curriculum in areas of art, music, stories, fine & gross motor, and more that are specific to the developmental stages of each child. Outdoor time will be made available twice per day and include walks in the stroller and/or playing in the toddler playground when weather permits.
Preschool & 4K Program
To provide the right environment for children, we first believe that we must create a safe and healthy environment. Our safe settings are inviting and encourage a child to explore their surroundings at his/or own pace. Children will be encouraged to make his or her own choices throughout the day and are directed with positive teacher guidance. This learning environment is tucked into the "play day" and based on child-approved themes in a room enriched with photos that reflect diverse families, abilities, and everyday life. Your child's classroom must be warm and loving, creating an atmosphere that feels safe and welcoming for the whole family and includes a variety of safe toys. We believe in developmentally appropriate physical settings that include large areas to move about, as well as places for the child to "get away" and some home alone time if they choose. We balance indoor and outdoor activities, active and quiet times, and group and individual times.
For two, three,, four, and five year old children, Creative Curriculum follows a daily format that matches the ever-changing needs of your rapidly developing child. Teachers plan and implement lesson activities that are specific to the education and emotional goals of each individual child, as well as a variety of interests and activity levels in the classroom.
The activities in Creative Curriculum meet learning objectives that will help your child move toward their potential as they explore and experiment with materials and activities in the classroom. Teachers act as facilitators of play and stay involved as they guide the children's learning in play times at Red Balloon.
Tuition Information
A Typical Day
Children ages two and older (infants/toddlers are on their own schedule)
6:00a - 7:00a
Arrival Time and Free Play: Children begin arriving at the center in one area designated as the drop-off room/area. They will begin by snuggling with teachers, and playing with tabletop activities or classroom toys.
7:00a - 8:30a
Free Choice Time: At this time, children have traveled to their age-defined classrooms or areas. Here they will utilize the learning areas set up for play and learning throughout the classroom. Learning Centers are set up to extend the Creative Curriculum learning experiences.
8:30a - 9:00a
Breakfast Time: Children will begin cleaning up for breakfast, washing hands, and assisting teachers with setting the tables for meal. Red Balloon participates in the USDA Food Program. Menus are posted on parent boards and located in the monthly newsletter. Organic thin-skin fresh fruits and vegetables are used whenever possible. Infants and toddlers are served organic foods. Homemade meals are a priority.
9:00a - 11:30a
Early Learning Time: Creative Curriculum is used at Red Balloon. This curriculum meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) and is YoungStar approved. It includes child-guided and inspired curriculum with weekly theme discussion, story time, music, movement, art, science, cooking, and outdoor time based upon weekly topics. During this time, children will also enjoy approximately 45 minutes of outdoor learning. Groups have scheduled outside times that may change with the weather and are designated by age groups.
11:30a - 12:00p
Lunch Time: Children will not begin cleaning up for lunch, washing hands, and assisting teachers with setting the tables. Red Balloon children and staff follow family style meals, which means they sit at the table and pass serving bowls/plates of food just like a family. This practice encourages children to try new things, practice manners, and follow good examples set by teachers.
12:00p - 12:30p
Winding Down: Time for toileting and reading a story with the group as we get ready to settle in for nap.
12:30p - 2:30p
Rest Time: Usually sleeping, soft music, and back rubs! Per state licensing rules, children under five years old that are in care for more than 4 hours are required to have a nap or rest period. After 30 minutes of rest, any child that is not sleeping may choose quiet activities at the tables with teachers.
2:30-3:00p
Snack Time: Upon waking from nap, children will assist with putting away their nap time belongings, use the bathroom, and wash up for snack.
3:00p - 5:45p
Outdoor Play and Indoor Play Time: Children will again have the opportunity to extend their learning experiences during this time. Outdoor activities include, but are not limited to, sand play, riding toys, climbing structures, and teacher-lead planned outdoor fun all in a fenced-in, monitored, safe play environment. Groups will again have 45 minutes of scheduled play time, depending on age.
Evening programs (where applicable) begin at this time
5:45p - 6:15p
Dinner Time: Children enrolled in evening program eat at this time. Dinner menu is often the same meal as the lunch menu.
6:15p - 6:30p
Winding Down: Stories, free choice time, homework, games, and snacks if children are hungry. Clean up and time to go home.
About Us
Our Mission
It is the mission of Red Balloon Early Learning Centers, Inc. to serve the children and
families in our area by providing a safe and healthy program that is educationally
enriching, highly nurturing and affordable. We aim to provide flexible hours of operation
to meet the ever-changing family needs. We promise to work with families in a
respectful and friendly manner to insure that children feel the unity between home and
Red Balloon.
Red Balloon Early Learning Center is...
Your child is the most important gift you've ever been blessed with. At Red Balloon Early Learning Centers, Inc. we've been serving families and their little ones in the Coulee Region since 1982. We are a non-profit organization overseen by a Board of Directors made up of parents and community members dedicated to providing quality early childhood education. We care with a commitment that is reflected in the faces of our children. We credit those many professionals that work for us and stay committed to you. We offer consistency with low staff turnover, an environment that respects all children, and an atmosphere of safety and security that children need so much.
Creating a warm and friendly environment where children love to learn is what Creative Curriculum is all about. At Red Balloon, we use Creative Curriculum for lesson planning and goal setting for each child. Teachers are provided with a weekly theme-based guide that is engaging, developmentally appropriate, and fun for your child. At these tender young ages, the environment and learning experiences your child is exposed to are so important! Creative Curriculum promotes loving, caring, learning environments that your child needs and deserves. Creative Curriculum lesson plans include activities in: Creative Arts, Dramatic Play, Language Development, STEM, Music/Movement, and Outdoor Experiences.
Children enjoy homemade meals made fresh each day by our Executive Chef, and enjoy eating each meal in a family style setting. Fresh fruits and vegetables are used as often as possible, and our teachers are always encouraging the children to try new foods. Our meals follow the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) requirements, are MSG free, and special dietary planning options are also available. Simply contact a Director if your child has a special dietary need.
Safety is a top priority at Red Balloon. All locations have a security system for entry into the building, as well as surveillance cameras to monitor the activities of the program. All external doors are always locked and alarmed, to ensure the safety of our centers. Parents/guardians receive a key fob upon enrollment for unlimited access to the building during business hours. We use natural, non-toxic cleaning products to keep our classrooms free from any harmful ingredients.
We encourage you to observe our program so that you can see the quality and dedication our staff have to your children. Our teachers are educated professionals registered with The State of Wisconsin Child Care Registry System. All employees undergo background checks, receive ongoing training, are CPR & First Aid certified, annually trained in SIDS, Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Child Abuse Prevention, as well as in OSHA and Blood-borne Pathogen Exposure Standards.
We also offer a new way of communication between classroom teachers and our families called Procare. Procare is a smartphone app that our teachers use for recording and tracking daily events and activities of the children in each classroom. As a parent/guardian, you'll get a private feed of real-time updates on your child delivered to your mobile device throughout the day. Classroom activities, meals, diapering/potty, reminders, even photos and videos! There is also a direct messaging feature, instantly connecting you with your child's teacher whenever needed.
Our Philosophy
Early childhood is a special time, a unique beginning for each life. We at Red Balloon believe a positive beginning requires a safe, healthy, loving, affirmative, and stimulating atmosphere with a curriculum that has a child-directed focus and meets high quality standards.
Health and safety come first in the list intentionally. A child's basic needs must be at the heart of a quality program. The child's physical safety and security is paramount. A quality program takes proactive steps to ensure that each child is protected. The child's environment should be void of harmful products and hazards. The child's daily food must be nutritious and respected as critical for their neurological and physical development.
Loving and affirming follow in importance. We believe the early learning environment should be nurturing and foster a sense of love and belonging to each child. We believe every child deserves to have someone in their life think they are the greatest person, and each child deserves an intentional and genuine connection with a caregiver. It is our understanding that children will not thrive in an environment that is punitive or apathetic. We believe in respecting the dignity of each child and affirming their person as having value separate from their choices. Safety, health, loving, and affirming are the early learning environment foundation.
Every moment with a young child is a learning moment and there is more to teaching young children than what one can read on a lesson plan. Children learn about the world around them through conversation, curiosity, discovery, play, observing, interaction, thinking, and being present. We believe adults should recognize and be with children in the moments as children work out social expectations, self-care skills, and academics. We believe a stimulating atmosphere reflects rotation of materials in a classroom setting, new ideas and activities introduced by teaching staff, and representations of diversity that children can connect with. We feel child-directed curriculum engages children on a deeper level and meets them where they are in their understanding, and teachers then have opportunities to extend learning and have meaningful interactions. We believe curriculum planning with goals for individual children is important, but that assessment should not be conducted at the expense of always being present with the children.
Finally, because each child is a part of a family and the community, we believe incorporating culture and diversity from families, our staff, and our community not only enriches our program, but empowers each child.
Upcoming Events:
At this time, to continue keeping our children as safe and healthy as we possibly can, Red Balloon continues to invite special visitors and presenters on-site to our centers instead of having the children travel on field trips off the premises. We made this shift following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we've had such incredible experiences setting up events this way that we decided to keep it!