Mission Statement

In the Diocese of Fresno, the primary mission of Catholic School Education is to be an effective instrument of the Catholic Church in its ministry of teaching the Gospel message and assisting children to grow into fullness of life in Jesus.  This mission supports parents in their role as the primary educators of their children.  This mission is accomplished at each school through the efforts of the school’s pastor, parishioners, staff, parents, and students who form a faith community.  This faith community is the vehicle for developing in students the responsibility for founding and promoting a society rooted in justice, love, and peace.

Motto Statement

The primary goal of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fresno is to assist students to grow into fullness of life in Jesus, to embrace their baptismal call to ministry, and to continue the mission of Jesus in their lives.  Therefore, the diocesan motto for the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Fresno is,

1. Faith: The graduate is a person whose faith in God is living, conscious, and active.

2. Courage: The graduate is a person who willingly acts on his/her Christian convictions no matter the cost, the pain, or the sacrifices it entails.

3. Respect: The graduate is a person who respects and honors God, self, and others.

4. Integrity: The graduate is a person who consistently stands for and lives his/her moral principles.

5. Responsibility: The graduate is a person with the capacity to make free and responsible decisions and the ability to accept both personal and social responsibility for his/her actions.

6. Compassion: The graduate is a person who feels the pain of those suffering and who works toward making a better life for all those in need.

Philosophy, Goals & Guidelines

Philosophy 

As a Catholic childcare program in the Diocese of Fresno, we believe:

• Than, mindful of our mission to be witnesses to the love of Christ in all, we accept children of all races, religions, and ethnic origins while still maintaining our Catholic identity.
• That each child is a unique gift from God, and each has individual learning styles and growth patterns.
• In a program that provides an informal setting for learning growth, which is conducive to the needs of the developing young child and which stimulates spiritual, mental, social, emotional and physical development.
• Children learn best in a consistent, safe, loving Christian environment that permits freedom to explore and discover.
• Parents want their child to be cared for by persons who support their family values.

Program Guidelines

• The purpose of childcare programs in the Diocese of Fresno is to provide a safe, happy, loving environment where religious and academic foundations for future learning take place. Each program is influenced by the philosophy of the existing school (if any) and the needs of the Catholic community it serves.
• Recognizing parents as the primary educators of their children, childcare teachers will take on the role of facilitator and guide children in the learning process. Each teacher must meet the professional requirements of the State of California and the Diocese of Fresno.

Curricular Goals and Guidelines 

Program Goals: 

• Extend, enrich and encourage the work already begun by parents.
• Encourage growth in self-awareness and self-esteem of the child as a creation of a loving God.
• Develop a sense of Christian community within the childcare environment.
• Foster a sense of curiosity and wonder in relation to the child’s world and the environment around him/her.
• Provide an environment to foster a love of present and future learning.
• Initiate a sense of liturgical celebration through classroom prayer.
• Aid parents in their role as primary educators of their child.
• Integrate with existing Catholic school primary curriculum.

Basic Methodology Goals: 

• Promote an atmosphere of love, acceptance and belonging, which has room for flexibility and spontaneity.
• Accentuate religious influence rather than formal instruction.
• Develop learning through exploration, play, and creative activity.
• Focus on the developmental needs of the individual child.

Goals of Role Models within the Curriculum: 

• Emphasize the role of teachers/aides as facilitators and guides in the discovery process.
• Encourage clergy, by their presence, to give an additional spiritual dimension of faith building process.