Children learn best through purposeful play, exploration, and creativity. Our curriculum provides a child centered approach to learning that integrates the cognitive, social emotional, physical and language areas of the developing child. Our teachers provide a variety of lessons and activities that are developmentally appropriate and incorporate interactive, hands on experiences that encourage independence, creative thinking, problem solving and language development. Important learning skills such as pre-reading, pre-writing and pre-math skills are also incorporated into their lessons and activities.
Creative Curriculum
We incorporate the framework The Creative Curriculum for Preschool into our curriculum. Through this framework We address the NYS Learning Standards by implementing an integrated curriculum incorporating the five domains (cognitive, language, motor, self-help/adaptive, and social/emotional) that provides numerous opportunities for learning through active exploration and experimenting with materials. Children engage in personally meaningful activities (based on their ages, interests and needs) and collaborate with peers and adults during large and small group time in the classroom. Knowledge, skills and concepts addressed include literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts (drama, fine art, music, movement) and technology with ample time for physical activity. Teachers’ roles are to observe children, guide learning, and assess progress (via standardized and informal tools).
Pre-k for All Curriculum
Our Pre-k daily routine includes both individual and small group learning experiences within the classroom. Our teachers uniquely plan lessons based on the Department of Education’s Pre-k for All thematic units of study which are reinforced in our various centers throughout the day. Our units are strategically aligned with specific goals and objectives found within the standards of the foundations of the common core for Pre-K.
Assessments
Developmental Screening
The Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R™) 2008 Edition provides a brief developmental screening instrument designed to be individually administered to children from 3.0 to 5.11 years of age. It identifies children who may need special education services in order to perform successfully in school. This screening tool assist educators in learning about the various aspects of a child’s development, such as language, cognition, perception, and motor development.
Authentic Assessment
Teaching Strategies Gold – Teaching Strategies GOLD is an authentic assessment system that tracks children’s development across ten domains: Social-Emotional, Physical, Language, Cognitive, Literacy, Mathematics, Science & Technology, Social Studies, The Arts, English Language Acquisition. Teachers collect evidence of child learning through observations and work samples throughout the year for three Citywide Checkpoint periods: Fall, Winter, and Spring.