Early Childhood Education

         

Superior Early Childhood Education…

To support our comprehensive Early Childhood Education program, we have a wide selection of teaching materials at our disposal, and to keep our program current and exiting for the children we are constantly adding to our collection of teaching aids. As mentioned in our Home Daycare page, our curriculum offers Circle Time, Concept Development, Art and Music on a daily basis. Check out the images above, showing some of our young students enjoying some of these learning opportunities! Beyond the Art and Music depicted above, we also incorporate Pre-reading, Math, Science and Social Studies into our preschool curriculum. The skills taught here will be needed for a smooth transition into Kindergarten.

Pre-Reading

Pre-reading basics are taught through the following methods: alphabet, phonics (including phonics follow-along CD’s), flip-charts, and rhyming bingo. Some other teaching techniques include word families, sight words, language cards, creative questions, fingerplays, poems, storybooks and flannel boards.

Math

Some techniques and materials used are counting flipcharts, counting objects, simple graphing flannel board numbers, number bingo, patterning and pattern blocks.

Science

Included in our curriculum are simple experiments with magnets, magnifying glasses, as well as the science behind growing plants and vegetables. We also experiment with cooking (using measurements, pouring, solids and liquids); the kids then get to eat the “lesson” we have prepared!

Social Studies

We study various people at work throughout our community, making their living filling numerous important roles (like teachers, police officers, fire fighters, doctors and dentists, for example). We also learn about other people’s homes throughout the world. We study “Our World,” which features many of the foods, customs, cultures and celebrations of people who live in other parts of the world.

S.P.I.C.E. of Life

As described in Wikipedia’s Early Childhood Development page, the five different “developmental domains” of children, all of which relate to each other, can be referred to as the SPICE of life. An explanation of this acronym follows:

• Social: One of the benefits of daycare itself is the Social opportunities it offers, and a small daycare setting is the perfect place to learn those basic social skills, such as learning to form attachments, play with others, cooperate, share and create lasting relationships.
• Physical: This item, Physical, refers to the development of small and large motor skills (also called fine and gross motor skills). Small motor skills will be learned during our “Concept Development” time; here, typical activities might include using play dough, puzzles, or finger paint. Many of the large motor skills, on the other hand, can be learned playing ball, running, marching, skipping, or even in a game of “Simon Says.”
• Intellectual: This Intellectual pursuit involves your child learning to make sense of the physical world around us. Of course, this is going to happen on all levels. As described above, we offer Math and Science “lessons,” but experts agree that some of the most important learning actually happens during playtime. Our goal is to provide absolutely the best environment for that to happen. Utilizing the child’s natural curiosity, “power of play” theory takes advantage of a child’s tendencies to “make believe,” and mixes in educational lessons.
• Creative: Children are naturally Creative. Development of talents in areas such as music, art, writing and reading are all incorporated into a curriculum tailored to your individual child. Music and Art are an integral part of the daily schedule in our Early Childhood Education program.
• Emotional: For your child’s Emotional development, a warm and caring daycare environment, with properly trained staff, is exactly what is needed. In our opinion, issues of self-awareness, self-confidence, and the ability to cope with and understand one’s feelings are best dealt with in a small home daycare facility like ours. Here, the children’s behavior can be monitored closely and responded to appropriately by a properly trained individual, like Ms. Vickie!