ACCEPTING AGES 18 MONTHS!
To talk to, sing to, and play with each child on a one to one basis. To respond to and expand on cues coming from each child.  
To interpret a child's actions to other children to help them get along in the group.

Toddler (18 Months!) & Two's Program Goals

To hold and touch, to make frequent eye contact and communicate with children especially during care giving. To talk and sing with children. To encourage children to feed themselves and encourage their development of self-help skills when ready.

To encourage and support each child's developmental achievements such as running, walking and climbing. To be in an environment that allows them to move freely and achieve mastery of their bodies through self-initiated movement. Children will have multiple opportunities to develop fine-motor skills with activities within their environments using their hands and fingers in a variety of age-appropriate ways.

To Learn About The World: We will provide an appropriately challenging, safe environment for children to explore and manipulate. We will play naming and hiding games. We will provide simple toys that respond to a child's initiations so they may pay attention to cause and effect. We will provide large containers of objects for children to carry, dump and refill. We will help toddlers developing awareness by reflecting their experiences, "You're pointing to the street, is it because you hear the garbage truck?" We will provide opportunities for making choices without interfering with selections. We will avoid interruptions of children's activities.

We will engage in many one to one, face to face interactions with children. We will listen and respond to children's emerging language. We will look at simple books and pictures. We will talk in a pleasant, calm voice, using simple language and frequent eye contact while being responsive to the child's cues. We will verbally label objects and events within the child's experience. We will describe children's and adult's actions and the events that occur. We will respond to toddler’s attempts at language in supportive ways, such as expanding their utterances and answering their questions, engaging in meaningful conversation about everyday experiences.

Preschool Goals

Social and Emotional Development

We will allow time for children to talk about what they see, do and like.  We will use children's names frequently in songs and games.  We will display children's work and photos of children.  We will encourage children to draw pictures, tell stories about self and family. We will provide many opportunities for children to initiate activities; to develop and demonstrate control of their bodies and self help skills.

We will assist children in social interactions. We will create space and time for small groups of children to build blocks together or enjoy dramatic play. We will provide opportunities for sharing, caring, and helping, such as making cards for a sick child or caring for pets.

Language and Literacy Development

We will read books and poems, tell stories about experiences, talk about pictures and write down stories children dictate.  We will provide time for conversation; ask children questions that require more than a one word answers.  We will answer children's questions and add more information to what a child verbalizes.  We will label things in the room, use written words with pictures and spoken language and provide a print-rich environment.  We will use flannel boards, puppets, songs, finger plays. We will encourage children's emerging interest in writing (scribbling, drawing, copying, and inventing their own spelling).

Mathematics: (Think, Reason, Question, and Experiment):

We will plan activities for labeling, classifying, sorting objects by shape, color, size.  We will discuss daily and weekly routines in terms of time concepts and seasons of the year.  We will extend children's thinking and learning during activities by adding new materials, asking open-ended questions, offering ideas or suggestions, joining in their play, and providing assistance in solving problems.  We will observe natural events such as seeds growing and life cycle of plants.  We will create opportunities to use numbers, geometry, algebra and counting objects. We will provide and encourage water and sand play

Visual and Performing Arts

We will encourage Creative Expression and Appreciation for the Arts: We will do creative activities such as brush painting, drawing, collage, and play dough. We will provide space and time for dancing, movement activities, and creative dramatics. We will do musical activities such as singing, listening to music, playing instruments. Our art activities are offered as an exploratory process rather than to produce a product.

History & Social Studies

All of our classroom will be involved in social studies through project based studies.  Studies help children develop content knowledge as they work on projects over time and are guided by adults who understand how to support children's learning.  

Each day’s learning builds upon what was studied before, and each new study provides opportunities for children to extend skills acquired in previous work. We will take walks around building or neighborhood. Plan trips to provide new learning experiences for preschoolers.

Physical Development

We will provide time and space for active play such as jumping, running, balancing, climbing, riding tricycles. We will provide creative movement activities using obstacle courses and activity songs, including performing arts.  

We will provide fine-motor activities such as stacking rings, pop-beads, pegboards, puzzles, lacing cards and woodworking.

Health

Science
Our children will cook and serve a variety of nutritious foods.  We will discuss good nutrition. we will do activities to develop safety awareness in the program, home and community.  We will invite the Police and Fire Department to visit our school each year.

We will encourage healthy practices such as washing hands, getting regular exercise and enough rest. We will talk about visiting the doctor and dentist.  The dentist will visit our school. 
Children will have opportunities to observe and investigate and then document and communicate their findings.  They will have opportunities to explore physical, life and earth sciences.  

They will study changes in nonliving objects and materials, properties and characteristics of living things, along with changes in living things.  We will introduce properties and characteristics of Earth materials and objects and changes in the Earth.