Learning Center Preschool

Pass It On Learning Center Program (ages 2.5 – 6yrs)

Children are always developing a better sense of themselves, including their capabilities, talents, and preferences. Our teachers support the children’s growing social skills by helping them learn how to listen, understand the feelings of others and verbally articulate their own needs. Problem solving through negotiation is carefully taught through role play and direct feedback as children are supported in navigating their day. Creativity, creating community and the development of the children's ideas are highly valued.

For this age group, we focus on stimulation and creativity with lesson plans that embody the children's interests and ideas. We frequently select books that reflect the children’s present interests, and together we will pull themes, concepts, and activities from the stories. We will utilize the context of each story to help make ideas and concepts concrete and meaningful, ensuring a truly emergent and engaging environment that allows children to make connections across the curriculum, and build on experiences.

Our program also focuses on concepts revolving around self-awareness, family and friends, and introducing basic multicultural and generational concepts. We incorporate stories, poems, and songs into these weekly themes, encouraging our children to be themselves while exploring their surroundings in a joyful, positive manner.

One of our primary areas of focus is encouraging our children to become independent, interdependent, self-confident, social people through gently guided and heavily praised pro- social interactions with peers, adults, and their environments. We believe that positive responsive and respectful relationships are key to achieving important developmental milestones throughout early childhood. Affection, respect, and sensitivity are important as well as responsiveness to each individual personality and temperament. The resulting sense of competence, independence, and control helps to solidify and strengthen the positive self esteem so essential to all learning.

Teachers in this program allow the children to try new things for themselves, only stepping in to help as the need arises. Independence is encouraged in daily living tasks by giving children the time and space to learn how to set the table for meals, prepare simple foods, use the bathroom independently, and implement organizational skills.

We know children need choices for activities that are interesting and challenging. The curriculum at the Learning Center includes circle times for stories, singing, and discussion, Zoo Phonics based language arts, daily live music, Smart Board interaction with math and literacy activities, and opportunities throughout the day for play and imagination. They can construct their own activities independently or with friends. Teachers help the children to communicate their needs and desires, and assist the children as they negotiate sharing and playing together.

Teacher and Family Communication

Our teachers work closely with the parents to understand family preferences for their child’s care. We work closely with parents to communicate daily events and changes in the child's schedule, health, development, and mood. Teachers communicate with parents in person daily, and provide a daily summary of events for parents’ review. Teachers also communicate via text and picture messages throughout the week, and through weekly emailed lesson plans and program updates, keeping parents fully informed about their child's days. Through these communications, teachers and parents form a close partnership to effectively the whole child’s development. Working at a ratio of one teacher to five, in a family environment of up to fifteen preschoolers, our children and teachers establish loving, supportive, and responsive relationships, ensuring optimal intellectual, social, emotional and physical development as our preschoolers work toward mastering kindergarten readiness skills.

The Learning Centers Preschool Environment

Children at the learning center are able to direct much of their own play throughout the day. There are open areas available for art and crafts activities, reading, dress up, active play, and pure imagination! We utilize the kitchen unit weekly to bake snacks while learning how to follow the recipes, and we make daily use of our classroom Smart Board for numerous activities! All the areas are designed to optimize play opportunities and learning experiences, in groups and individually.

The outside play yard offers permanent play structures to include swings, slides, climbing and hanging bars, and various portable play items and activities, a picnic table and grass play area included along with several gardening areas, and two concrete patios. The children enjoy a variety of games and outdoor activities year round.

Resting Time

Most children enrolled at the learning center have graduated from afternoon naps, and instead will participate in a half hour of quiet time in individually designated areas, approximately from 1:00 – 1:30. All children will be required to have resting materials at school, to include a top and bottom cover (2 blankets) or a sleeping bag, and a small pillow or head rest. Stuffed animals, or small sleeping objects are discouraged at the learning center, and pacifiers are not permitted.

Quiet time offers 15 minutes of guided visual imagery as teachers read actual or made up stories to the children while peaceful and relaxing music flows in the background. Children then have an additional 15 minutes for independent, quiet book exploration. Children that may nap during this time will be permitted to continue resting, and will be allowed to wake naturally as the group continues on with the daily routine.

Toilet Training

Children that are being exposed to a bathroom routine, are primarily self-dressing, responding to internal cues, and/or staying dry predominately throughout the day, to include rest time, may be considered for enrollment at the Learning Center. Open communication and consistent use of toilet training techniques between the school and home environments is very important in supporting toilet success!

Families of any child enrolled in the Learning Center who is not yet toilet trained must supply pull-ups, wipes, and any other needed diapering accessories in a labeled bag to be stored with the program. Teachers will address “misses” by supporting children in cleaning and changing themselves. Reusable grocery bags are durable and work very well as diaper bags. Diapering supplies will not be provided. Parents will be notified in advance of any need to replenish diapering supplies.

All Learning Center toilet training will encourage socially acceptable use of the toilet, requiring and washing afterward. It is not acceptable for a toilet training/ed child to choose to urinate outdoors while in program attendance, or on program property.

Please dress your preschooler in clothing that will support your child in making toilet time successful. Overalls, button pants, belts and suspenders can be challenging to manipulate in times of toilet need.