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The Creative Curriculum for Preschool features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, and assists our teachers build children’s confidence, creativity, and critical thinking abilities, as well as promote positive outcomes. It consists of The Foundation, which allows teachers to create a high-quality learning environment, and The Daily Resources, which help them plan and manage every moment of the day.
The Foundation has been updated, and includes a Science and Technology, Social Studies and the Arts content that helps our teachers encourage children to make and test hypotheses, develop skills for using technology, explore their world and the people in it, and engage their creative thinking skills.
The Daily Resources are our teachers' key to integrate learning into every part of the day, for every child, and in every area of learning. They use the Teaching Guides that offer comprehensive daily plans to support our teachers as they assist every child explore, investigate, and learn; the Intentional Teaching Card that helps them adapt activities for each child; and the Mighty Minutes that turns “in-between” time into learning time. They also utilize a collection of fiction and nonfiction children’s books and the Book Discussion Cards that promotes children’s language and literacy learning, and social-emotional development, during read-alouds.
PRESCHOOLERS
Our preschoolers begin to complete small tasks on their own and to make decisions and question the world around them. We provide our children with exploration, experimentation, and conversations to answer their new questions. Through guided play, they engage in a creative learning exchange between mind, body, and environment. Our classes include: hands-on themed activities; a setting where children learn how to problem solve; observation-based assessments; and teacher and family communication.
Our teachers focus on all areas of learning at a time, making academics through play an integrated experience. Building on children’s interests, strengths, and needs, as well as their cultures and home languages, provides them with an inviting environment. In our preschool classrooms, daily activities focus on developing social skills through small group work, interacting and sharing with other children; fostering creativity through music, art activities, and dramatic play experiences; promoting motor skills through art, outdoor play, writing, use of manipulatives; developing independence and self-esteem through care of the classroom environment, clean up, and serving food; acquiring cognitive skills by exploring science, math, social studies, and language activities; and going on curriculum enhancing field trips.
Furthermore, we enrich our preschool curriculum by incorporating the Al’s Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices, a preschool prevention program that develops personal, social and emotional skills. We also participate in the Virginia Preschool Initiative, a state funded effort that supports quality preschools for eligible 4-year-olds as they transition from an early learning setting to elementary school. With our enhanced and challenging curriculum, our children gain the skills needed to transition to and master Kindergarten.
TEACHERS
FAMILIES