The first five years of your child’s life set the foundation and influence future success in school and life. A positive self-image is developed to a great degree during the preschool period and is a basic ingredient in educational success. Parents are the child’s first and most important teachers, and it is vital that parents and educators work together effectively. Our highly qualified and state-licensed teachers strive to provide a comprehensive and holistic preschool experience using a team approach including the family, school staff, community members, and the classroom community. Daily schedules are based on routines that provide security and predictability while novel materials and experiences are interspersed to motivate children. Children learn to make transitions from one activity to another and to problem solve when conflicts or challenges occur.
Given the highly academic focus of Kindergarten, early childhood programs have much to accomplish if our students are to be prepared with the concepts and skills they will need to be successful. Research supports that three and four-year-old children learn best in a well-planned environment that focuses on play-based experiences as the path to reaching learning goals. Teachers facilitate experiences so children develop the social skills to work with others and to ensure that learning goals are integrated into all of our activities. All parts of the curriculum are responsive to individual strengths, needs, and differences of each child including gender, temperament, interests, learning styles, life experiences, culture, special needs, and English Language learning. Above all, preschool experiences are thought-provoking, open-ended, and fun!
Our programs have adopted the Creative Curriculum as the basis of our program planning. The Curriculum is aligned to Ohio’s Early Learning Content Standards and is based on research in child development. Lesson plans combine varied activities daily to help children explore and learn. Teachers use large group circle time and small group sessions to present and practice new skills and concepts and to track child progress. Interest areas (centers) are designed to allow children to make choices and to actively explore. Careful planning and adult facilitation result in group activities and interest areas that address all of the areas of development including social-emotional, physical, cognitive and language, and all the content areas including Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, The Arts, and Technology. In addition, children learn how to learn by setting goals, observing, asking questions, documenting their experiences, and applying knowledge to new contexts.
Our programs follow our Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports policy 5630.01, which is accessible here.