Cooperative play and socialization will be the focus of this level curriculum. A variety of songs, fingerplays, books and creative movement are some of the daily activities. Introducing flannel boards, drama, puppetry, and Compact Disc (CD) players will help to encourage oral language and communication. Bead stringing, cutting, drawing, tracing, playdough and puzzles to develop dexterity. Water and sand are fun, both indoors and outdoors. Gross motor skills of hopping, jumping, balancing and running provide large muscle development. Basic math concepts of counting and matching will be practiced on the calendar and in various games. Listening and following simple directions will help to develop auditory practice. Proper use of equipment and respect for the belongings of others will be encouraged in daily sharing of tasks and supplies. Above all, we want to give students a positive first experience to learning.

This curriculum is geared towards readiness skills and language development. Speaking in complete sentences and expressing ideas are major goals. Story starters, experience charts and Show and Tell time are valuable tools of expressive language.

The development of the fine motor skills are introduced through the use of painting, collages, letter and number writing and simple art projects involving simple pasting and cutting. Story time and simple direction games are fun ways to practice listening skills and increase attention span. Music is incorporated throughout most daily activities as an enjoyable learning tool. Sorting, patterns and sequencing encourage basic math concepts. Using one’s imagination through creative drama and recalling simple facts enhance comprehension. Daily assigned classroom jobs help to develop a sense of pride and responsibility. Ultimately, our goal is to foster confidence and self-esteem in preparation for Kindergarten.

A computer is available in the classroom to supplement curriculum.

The Transition program is available for children born between September 1st and December 31st who will not be entering a kindergarten either due to chronological age or a specific social or academic consideration. A supplementary computer program is incorporated into the Transition Program as an additional visual aid.

At this level, self-motivation and independent learning is our goal. Most students are capable of more detail, letter and number penmanship, math development and readiness skills in language.

Correct pencil grip and left to right sequence is stressed in all activities to insure proper writing of numbers and upper and lower case alphabet letters. One-to-one correspondence, cardinal and ordinal numbers, measurement and time concepts will be introduced with the use of charts, scales and graphs. The students will be introduced to concepts of science, animal life and social studies through hands-on experimentation, life skills and resources. Art projects incorporate units of study and classroom themes. Listening skills enable students to become active, cooper-active members of the classroom. Special attention will be focused on early childhood readiness skills to challenge and encourage all students to complete tasks and to be successful in school.

All three levels of curriculum are interrelated and support one another.