choosing the right Pre-school!
CURRICULUM
Our preschool & kinder-prep program uses Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme as well as Joyful Heart Character Traits Curriculum. The curriculum provides wonderful ideas and resources to equip and encourage children on a joyful journey into learning with their classmates and teachers. The curriculum is focused on the Bible along with phonemic awareness activities. This curriculum also includes an integrated alphabet study, developmentally appropriate math, science, and crafts! We supplement with the ABC Bible Notebook, Beginner’s Bible Curriculum and Handwriting Without Tears. This allows children to learn through hands-on, teacher led activities, and through play/learning centers.
We believe children learn best through play. Focusing on the whole child provides many experiences for children to explore and discover. It gives them the opportunity to build a strong foundation. Focusing on the development of the whole child allows children to grow not just academically, but spiritually as well, putting them on the road to success.
JOYFUL HEART BIBLE & RHYME GOALS (ages 3-5)
· To develop a growing respect and love for God and His Word
· To build connections between Bible teachings and other academic areas of learning
· To expand upon their sense of awe and wonder about how their world works
· To hear, recognize, reproduce, and manipulate the sounds of language in a playful manner
· To introduce the names and sounds of letters in a meaningful way
· To develop basic math concepts using manipulatives - a “hands on” process
· To instill an overall love for learning through enjoyable, developmentally appropriate experiences
JOYFUL HEART BIBLE & RHYME GOALS (ages 4-5)
· To recognize, practice, and make connections with godly character traits as found in the Bible
· To play with and manipulate the sounds of language (phonemic awareness)
· To make connections between print and sounds (phonics)
· To develop a growing sense of accomplishment as they read and write using CVC and sight words, both in and out of context
· To enjoy the rereading of favorite, predictable story books
PROGRAM GOALS
With an understanding that children learn best through hands-on activities and play, our goal is to nurture each area of child development: spiritual, social/emotional, language, cognitive, and physical education (large motor & fine motor). Therefore, this gives children the opportunity to explore and discover the world around them that God has created.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WHOLE CHILD
-Spiritual: Children learn to love God & others, to understand what it means to show kindness, to obey, and to be more aware of God’s presence in our world.
-Social/Emotional Development: Children learn how to express and regulate their feelings, as well as, to create and develop relationships with their peers and teachers.
-Language Arts: Children learn to express their thoughts and feelings and to demonstrate early reading skills through hands on activities, speaking, singing, role-playing, and practicing writing skills.
-Cognitive Development: Children learn to problem solve through symbolic play, listening to stories that promote cognitive thinking & memory skills, hands on activities and games.
-Physical/Large Motor Development: Children learn to use large muscles in their legs, arms, and mid/trunk area creating good physical health habits. Children will be provided with opportunities to participate in gross motor activities which include: running, jumping, hopping, skipping, crawling, kicking, throwing, catching, and dancing.
-Fine Motor Development: Children develop their fine motor skills by grasping with their fingers and hands. Children will strengthen their fine motor development through activities with playdoh, finger painting, scissor cutting, tweezer fun, stringing beads, lacing, placing small objects into containers, and practicing with buttons, snaps, and zippers. They will also develop fine motor skills through grasping/holding things such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint brushes and learning to write their names.
-Creative/Fine Arts: Children learn through visuals. Children are encouraged to be creative in all the arts: dramatic play, literature/language, speaking, writing/drawing, painting, crafting, dancing, singing, and music.
-Mathematics: Children learn basic math skills such as sorting, patterning, identifying basic numbers, number sequencing, and addition and subtraction through hands on experiences and exploration with numbers.
-Sensory: Children learn about textures: hard, soft, smooth, slimy, sticky, bumpy, hot, cold, etc. They will be given many opportunities throughout the year to explore with sensory play and different textures.
PRESCHOOL & KINDER-PREP SCHEDULING (3, 4, or 5 days a week)
We understand that every family has different needs, so we offer our program 3, 4 or 5 days each week. You also have the option of choosing half or full days. Half days are 7:45-11:30 a.m. Full days are 7:45 a.m. -3:05 p.m. We recommend that each child attend on a Thursday and/or Friday due to the fact that most parties and field trips are planned for these days. These activities are special and are great for social development.
HALF DAY STUDENT INFORMATION
Half day students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. In order to make a smooth transition for your child and the remaining students in the classroom, the teacher’s aide will bring all half day students to the front foyer at 11:30 a.m. The aide will have a clipboard for you to sign out your child. Students not picked up by 11:30 a.m. will be brought to the office to wait for your arrival.
LUNCH BUDDY PROGRAM
We have a Lunch Buddy Program for half day students. For an additional fee, Lunch Buddies can stay from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. You may choose to have your child bring a lunch from home or purchase a hot lunch. Hot lunches may be separately purchased in advance through the FACTS system. All lunch buddies will be brought up to the front foyer at 1p.m. to be signed out and picked up.
FULL DAY STUDENT INFORMATION
The whole school is dismissed at 3:05 p.m. We encourage you to pick up your child at the classroom, unless they have an older sibling picking them up and bringing them out to the front for car pool line. If doing this, please make sure to inform your child’s teacher. Preschool parents may pick up early to beat the traffic out front in the pick-up line. You may arrive as early as 2:45 p.m. Please be mindful the elementary children will still be in class during this time. In the front of the school, there are a few parking spots designated just for preschool parents. You may also park in the parking lot.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Children can arrive as early as 7:45 a.m. If you’re earlier than this, you will wait in the front foyer until the bell rings at 7:45 a.m. School begins at 8 a.m. Half day students are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. Pick up for half day students will be at the front foyer. Full day students are dismissed at 3:05 p.m. Pick up for full day students will be at the classroom. On half days, all children will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. at the classroom. If students are not picked up by 11:45 a.m., they will be brought to the aftercare room. There is an additional charge for the extended care program.
MORNING & AFTERCARE (Extended Care)
We offer morning care for all students. Morning care begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 7:45 a.m. when children are dismissed to their classrooms. Aftercare begins at 3:20 p.m. When dismissal ends, children are brought to the aftercare room. Aftercare is from 3:20-5:30 p.m. We offer aftercare on half days as well. Children are brought to the aftercare room at 11:45-5:30 p.m.
Morning care and Aftercare students from preschool-2nd grade will be in the Preschool room located by the playground entrance. Please make sure when dropping off for morning care and picking up your child from extended care that you sign your child in and out.
TOILET INDEPENDENCE
Children must be completely toilet trained in order to join our preschool program. This means that they must be able to use the bathroom independently. They must be able to pull up/down their pants and clean their bottom on their own. They must be able to button and zip their pants/skirts on their own. Please put them in appropriate clothing that allows them to be independent.