Curriculum

Our early learning program utilizes THREE different curriclums, each adapted for developmentally appropriate practice in the classroom.

Little Treasures

Little Treasures is a Comprehensive  Pre-K curriculum by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.  ”Our youngest learners are little treasures, shining brightly in our classrooms.  The MacMillan/McGraw-Hill Little Treasures program is a developmentally appropriate, research-based Pre-K curriculum.  It is designed to prepare your 3-5 year olds for the academic and social demands of Kindergarten.”-Introduction, Teacher’s Manual.

The key features of this curriculum are:

• Language, Language, Language.  This curriculum is designed to fill in children’s language gaps and fill their day with basic, content, and exposure to rich vocabulary
• Early Reading First.  Daily “Alphabet Time” (a.k.a. “Circle Time”) lessons explore Phonological Awareness, Alphabet Recognition, Print Awareness, and Oral Language in fun, engaging hands-on ways.
• Integrated Curriculum.  There are weekly lessons on Social Studies, Science, Math and music which are linked to the current theme.
• Social/Emotional Development with Mr. Rogers.  Social/Emotional development is crucial to kindergarten readiness!

Our toddler teachers follow along with the themes of this curriculum while creating their own age-appropriate activities to engage even our littlest learners.

Our preschool teachers adapt the lessons to the levels, abilities and interests of each class.

Conscious Discipline

Conscious Discipline is a whole-school solution for social-emotional learning, discipline and self-regulation.  Conscious Discipline encompasses four components:

• The Brain State Model:  Our teachers are trained (or are training) in how to understand how internal emotional states dictate behavior.
• The Seven Powers for Conscious Adults: Our teachers are training in how to understand how their OWN internal emotional states create the atmosphere for a child’s failure or success in the classroom.  We cannot teach what we do not know.
• The School Family:  We are consciously working on building and maintaining connections through a culture of compassion.
• Seven-Skills of Discipline:  Success in social emotional learning and problem solving!

Conscious Discipline uses rituals, songs, movement, breathing techniques and other methods to create a family atmosphere and space for problem solving.  Parents are encouraged to visit their website, which has a parent section, so that they are able to use some of these same methods in the home.

From our littlest learners to our most aged employees, we are all in this together!

Handwriting Without Tears

This curriculum is designed to give each child playful learning opportunities to explore and internalize new ideas.  This playful approach is the reason why HWT is successful.  Young children are not ready to sit and focus for long periods of time.  They learn best when they manipulate objects, move, build, sing, draw, and participate in dramatic play.  HWT is tailored to meet that need!

HWT meets the needs of children with different and continually evolving abilities.  They will learn letters and numbers, what they are and how we use them, that we read and write from top to bottom and left to right.  They will learn how to hold crayons, start making lines, then letters and their names!

This program uses play dough, building materials, colors and pencils and music (among other things) to teach basic skills in Readiness and Writing, Language and Literacy, and Numbers and Math.

Physical Fitness Program:  Movement is Learning!

Little Treasures and Handwriting Without Tears focus on cognitive growth, Conscious Discipline focuses on social/emotional growth…but we CANNOT forget your child’s physical growth.  In a day and age where most children are sedentary and focused on a computer or TV screen, we are passionate about getting them active!  When children are involved in a structured movement program, they learn the range of movement of the parts of their bodies, and that they have their own personal space that they are moving in.  They learn to slow down and stop, change directions in space and to respect the space of others.  Our teachers create activities that will get their heart rates up, get them jumping, hopping, stretching and twisting and “working out” in a variety of fun ways.  Recess is so much more than just recess.  It is creative and full of energy and excitement-which we hope will stay with your child as they move up into their school-aged years.

It is our goal to create a well-rounded program for our children-to encourage them to imagine and play -in an atmosphere that is safe and full of joy.  Please call us and schedule a tour if you would like to see our classrooms in actions!