Our Philosophy

West Austin Youth Academy builds its program on the premise that each child is a unique individual with a definite growth and developmental pattern. In addition, we are committed to the belief that early childhood education is vitally important to our children's future.

Why West Austin Youth Academy?

West Austin Youth Academy is a place parents can feel good about bringing their children to each day. We offer a varied educational environment in which children are continually learning new skills and accomplishing new goals - all the things that make early childhood education fun and establish the keys to future success.

The curriculum designed for West Austin Youth Academy is developmentally based, focusing on the individual child's social, emotional, and intellectual needs. Our professional staff encourages exploration and growth in a well-equipped environment that is stimulating, safe, consistent, and nurturing. We strive to enhance each child's natural curiosity in the hopes of fostering a love of learning. Your child's experience at West Austin Youth Academy will be filled with opportunities to master tasks that are appropriate to his or her level of development.

In addition to an exemplary curriculum, we are committed to working closely with parents toward the welfare of the whole family. Parents are welcome to visit the school at any time. We believe our task is to provide the continuum of surrounding the children in our care with love, security, and opportunities to grow.

Our Curriculum

We feel that children benefit greatly from "hands-on" learning. With this philosophy in mind, the layout of the school was designed to constantly stimulate children through daily rotations to various resource areas. Each day children have access to books, art, a gym, a playground and a full gymnastics facility.

The curriculum at West Austin Youth Academy is theme-based and developmentally appropriate. Theme-based curriculum exposes children to a variety of new and exciting topics. Activities are built around children's interests, helping children develop new knowledge and skills based on what they already know. Having weekly themes keeps the early childhood experience varied and interesting for both students and teachers. There is a sense of freshness with each new unit, enlivening the teaching environment. Children are able to organize learning concepts and build upon them with the introduction of each new theme.

In addition to a weekly unit of study, children experience math concepts, science projects, and social studies units. The comprehensive curriculum at West Austin Youth Academy allows children to develop into well-rounded individuals who excel in kindergarten and beyond.

To ensure that the children receive daily small group instruction, classes are divided into small groups at various times throughout the day. While one group of children visits a resource area such as the gym or the art area, the second group remains in the classroom to participate in a lesson on language, math, or science. We feel that the children benefit greatly from this small group interaction with each other as well as with their teachers.

Our Ratios

At West Austin Youth Academy, we pride ourselves on providing the highest standard of quality child care. Part of quality child care includes maintaining a low child to staff ratio. We follow the child to staff ratios recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Quality Child Care

Research shows that high quality child care plays a positive and long-lasting role in the social and intellectual development of children, no matter what their social, cultural and economic background.

Quality child care offers activities that are appropriate for each child's age, interests, abilities, and family background. The environment is safe and healthy and parents are welcome at any time.

At West Austin Youth Academy, we take many steps to ensure that your child is nurtured in a quality atmosphere.

Our teachers are well-trained in both CPR and first aid as well as early childhood development. All teachers are required to receive at least 15 hours of training each year. Training sessions are conducted on-site at our facility. Topics range from lesson planning and stages of development, to positive guidance and early literacy.

In addition to a highly trained staff, we take the necessary steps to ensure that our facility is clean and sanitary. The entire facility is maintained by a private cleaning staff who cleans the center from top to bottom every evening after hours. We also adhere to very strict cleanliness and handwashing policies for teachers as well as children.

Parent Communication

Communication with parents is a key part of a child's school success. We take vital steps to ensure that every parent is kept up to date on their child's progress at school.

A weekly update of West Austin Youth Academy news is sent via e-mail each week. The e-mail also includes a specific update from your child's classroom Lead Teacher.  The weekly updates include necessary forms to be filled out, latest school/classroom updates, etc.

In addition, daily reports are sent home with all children aged two and younger. These reports provide details of a child's daily routine such as diaper changes, overall mood, and meals.

We have an open door policy and parents are welcome and encouraged to visit the school and participate in special activities. Several times throughout the year we invite all parents to join us for a holiday luncheon or special class party.

A parent resource area is located as you enter each classroom. Various resources for parents are displayed here and rotated regularly. An example of what parents may find in the resource area includes parenting magazines, parenting classes being offered around town, and fact sheets about common childhood illnesses such as asthma.

Parent involvement and communication is a very important aspect of each child's first school experience. We strongly encourage parents to participate in school activities and communicate regularly with teachers and other staff members at West Austin Youth Academy.  The Director, Amy Crosslin, encourages parents to call or come by her office at any time.  

West Austin Youth Academy Classrooms