Early Childhood Center

The curriculum for three-year-olds focuses on social/adaptive behaviors, with a strong emphasis on language through stories, songs, poems and vocabulary building. They begin to appreciate literature and the joy of reading by being read to in family and at school. All activities are designed to address the appropriate developmental level of each child. Through the use of hands-on experiences, the curriculum areas of speech and language, motor development, readiness skills, social/emotional and self-help skills are targeted.

Children develop the basis for verbal communication in early years, beginning with nonverbal social exchanges. They begin making “friends” and learn how to transition from solitary-parallel play to cooperative play. 

Daily activities include: outdoor play, exploration and hands-on activities; movement and music exploration; dramatic play; language expression and communication; story sharing; use of manipulative toys such as puzzles and blocks; and creative expression through exposure to a wide variety of materials and art activities.

Four-year-olds build upon social/adaptive and other skills, with increased expectations for children to become more independent and be able to work within a group. They enjoy a greater variety of experiences with a focus on more fine motor activities such as cutting, drawing, painting and other pre-writing/reading activities. Children have better concentration and can recall, recognize and organize materials in a variety of ways, working on patterns and sequences which are helpful in the development of reading and writing skills. 

The foundations for learning in the English Language Arts are critical to all other curriculum areas as well as to the child’s social and emotional development. The joy of reading is emphasized and worked on throughout the year. The preschool program encourages children to learn about the world around them. The key components include book orientation, asking and answering questions, sequencing, and relating personal experience to stories. Children at this age are exposed to early reading behaviors and principles of the alphabet. 

Dramatic play is also emphasized at this age. Taking on roles and acting out familiar scenarios are part of the daily instruction. These skills help them to form symbolic and abstract thinking skills, as well as give them the opportunity to work on negotiation skills and develop their self-concept.

Math: Four-year-olds also develop basic number concepts and problem-solving skills. Preschool children learn to recite numbers in order, compare quantity, comprehend position, recognize and create simple patterns, identify simple shapes, and match objects in one-to-one correspondence. Number concepts become significant to children when they develop out of experiences that are functional in their world. Mathematical experiences are not limited to “math time.” They are embedded in almost all daily classroom activities. Mathematical thinking is incorporated into block play, dramatic play, sand and water play, and outdoor play. Children also have the opportunity to make connections between mathematics and other developmental experiences in the areas of art, music and P.E.  

Young children are naturally curious. They wonder what things are called, how they work, and why things happen. More in-depth study is begun on topics of interest to the children and teacher. The foundations of scientific learning lie in inquiry and exploration. In the early years, children are exposed and begin to predict, observe, compare and classify by attributes.  

Kindergarten children combine ideas into more complex relationships, have a growing cognitive capacity, continue to develop more language/communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, and math and science skills. Their adaptive and social skills allow them to function better both within groups as well as independently. They are becoming better at negotiating solutions with peers and collaborate more in play and on projects. 

In K5, formalized Language Arts instruction is provided through the Readers Writers Workshop model. This unique model approach comes from Columbia University’s Teachers College which introduces beginning reading and writing skills. Kindergarten follows the US Common Core Language Arts standards. Children at this age learn letters, high frequency words, sounds and easy word recognition, rhyming, poetry and literature, while promoting print-rich activities in the environment. In addition, teachers utilize reading benchmarks to determine student’s individual reading levels, enabling teachers to gear instruction to individual reading levels. Teachers lead “guided reading” groups to improve students’ reading fluency. All of this helps to stimulate the development of language and literacy skills in meaningful contexts. 

Math in K5 follows the Bridges curriculum and has a set of expectations following the American Common Core Math Standards.  Students work on the different domains (e.g. number sense, measurement, shapes, addition/subtraction) through many hands on, inquiry based tasks. Students are encouraged to explain their thinking when working with numbers and solving a problem. 

Social studies and Science: Developmentally, Kindergarteners learn best when given the opportunity to explore, experiment, observe, predict and record (using pictures and words). Using these inquiry skills, the students learn about how to act like a scientist and explain their findings following the scientific method: Kindergarten scientists will demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in planning and carrying out investigations.  K5 follows the Next Generation Science Standards which teach kids to be inquirers, connecting real-life experiences to make learning more authentic. We want to ensure that K5 students have the overall Inquiry and specific skills necessary for a successful transition into 1st grade. 

Social Emotional Learning

Students will explore their relationships with families, friends, teachers, and neighbors.  Students will learn how to effectively communicate within the classroom, the school, and the world.  Introduction to our character education program, Second Step, provides students with skills in the areas of skills for learning, empathy, problem solving and emotional management.

Students enjoy a wide range of specialist classes

Spanish: All students receive Spanish instruction 3 times per week through many hands-on activities, stories, and songs. 

Library: Students enjoy weekly library visits which offer children an additional opportunity to interact with books, and develop many literacy/language and cognitive skills. 

Movement and Music experiences are provided weekly for all ECC children. Coordination, balance, body-in-space, rhythm, and music experiences allow children to gain confidence and control over their bodies, which is important to the total development of the child. 

Physical Education (PE) classes are offered to PK4 and K5 where teamwork, body coordination and control is emphasized. To further this development, PK4 and K5 students participate in swimming classes one afternoon a week 

Art: All ECC students receive art instruction on a weekly basis. The goal of arts education in early years is to develop and sustain the natural curiosity, expressiveness, and creativity that very young children often display. Arts education begins with a foundation that emphasizes exploration, experimentation, and engagement of the senses, and discussion as paths to understanding. As they work on these elements of art, they strengthen their fine motor skills and hand-eye development.