Kindergarten
The need for a high caliber kindergarten program coupled with extended before and after care is a necessity for many working parents, and our extended day kindergarten programs offer the best of both worlds.

Private kindergarten allows teachers the freedom to spend more time with children, to address their individual needs and to expand on all learning areas well beyond just the basics. Kindergarten is fun because learning comes alive!

The Three “R’s” and Beyond

Reading and Language
The reading and language curriculum for kindergarten utilizes the McCracken Grow into Reading program.

Twelve core beliefs serve as the framework:

• Language exists to express meaning.
• Language skills evolve from trying to make sense of the speech and print of the world into which we are born.
• Literacy skills improve through practice.
• There is no absolute sequence in which skills are learned or need to be taught.
• Language-learning is a responsive, social, non-competitive process.
• The minimum text that can be used to teach reading is the whole book, chapter, poem or story. Children read whole stories and poems before they recognize words.
• There is no disintegration of language into components for daily teaching.
• Reading is done through comprehension. The brain directs the eye to make sense of a mass of text.
• All children go through the same stages in learning to read and write.
• All children must be read to on a regular basis.
• Almost all children are capable of literacy if they do not become confused or frustrated in learning how print works. Almost all children require direct, sensitive teaching to learn how print works.
• Children must see, hear, and use language.


Writing
Your kindergartener will progress developmentally from talking to drawing to writing through the use of journaling. Children open their imaginations to interpret how their own writing makes them feel.

Early in the year, they start with pictures and dictation (the teachers write the words), and their skills gradually improve. Soon they are making lists, copying words, and doing shared writing with the teachers.. By the end of the school year, most children are writing sentences in their journals using sight words, phonetic spelling, and their dictionaries.

Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum for kindergarten utilizes the Houghton Mifflin Every Day Counts Calendar Math program. This interactive program is designed to capitalize on daily discussions and to foster children’s mathematical confidence and competence while appealing to the natural way children learn. The program is based on years of teaching and is supported by research that shows:

• Children need to learn mathematics incrementally, giving them the opportunity to develop understandings over time.
• Models help children visualize and verbalize number and geometric relationships.
• Classroom discussion fosters the growth of language acquisition and development of reasoning. It also allows children to discover that there are many strategies for solving problems.
• Over time, children can learn to think algebraically. Early exposure to this type of thinking will lead them to a successful future in mathematics.
• Observing and listening to children is essential to ongoing assessment that can guide instruction.


Hands-on experiences are incorporated into lessons that teach concepts of Arithmetic, Geometry, Money, Value and Time. Often, one simple exercise can encompass many areas such as: playing “store” teaches children to count money, understand value concepts and also problem solve (especially when a customer isn’t happy?) And a favorite - cooking - is one of the best ways to bring to life to the concept of measures.

And Beyond - Learning is fun when you get your hands dirty! We incorporate lots of interactive hands-on activities to get children involved.

Science
A calendar is a wonderful entry into the world of science. Learning about the month invites conversation about the seasons and what different seasons feel, look and even smell like. This often transitions into topics of plants and animal development. Expect your child to learn about the importance of protecting the environment while exploring the world around him and far beyond into space.

Here is a sample unit and activities:

“All about Animals” unit- Chick Hatching is a favorite – We celebrate new life as a farmer visits the center to start the two–week project with a short presentation featuring a live hen and rooster!. Detailed instructions and activities are included for all children. Hatch one dozen incubated eggs in the classroom and nurture the baby chicks until they return to the farm.

Outer Space – Field trip to the planetarium, Making solar system mobiles, School recycling and green projects

Dinosaurs – Creating plaster of Paris dinosaur eggs, Dig for “fossils” in the sandbox

Insects – Caterpillar cocoons to freeing butterflies, Ladybug gardens, Ant farms

Social Studies
“Flat Stanley” is used to teach children about the world around us. Far more than just a pen-pal activity, our little friend is sent to family and friends across the world. Students make paper Flat Stanleys and begin a journal with him. Then Flat Stanley and the journal are sent to family and friends across the world for them to treat Flat Stanley as a guest and complete the journal. Flat Stanley and the journal are then returned to the original sender. Students plot his travels on maps, share the contents of the journal and learn about different places and cultures. Often, Flat Stanley returns with a pin or postcard, pictures, souvenirs, and stories as reminders of the visit.

Here is a sample unit and activities:

“A Day in the Neighborhood” - Community Awareness unit–Children explore their neighborhood and learn about the different people and businesses and what roles they play. Visits to the Post Office and with the Postman, Fire Department and Fireman, Bakery and Baker, Library and Librarian.

• Multicultural – Through our travels with Flat Stanley, we discover different countries and cultures, and make and taste different foods.
• Citizenship – Children learn about basic citizenship as they study the flag, the Pledge of Allegience, and the President of our country. They travel back in time and discover what life was like for Columbus and other explorers of America.