2

Teacher to Student Ratio 1:5

Teachers create a warm and loving environment that emphasizes:

Communication and Relationship Building

• Sparking their awareness of pictures, printed works and books through storytimes and circle times
• Beginning to develop the skills needed to navigate social interactions with peers
• Supporting children to resolve peer conflicts peacefully

Independence

• Exploring the world around them through pretend play
• Communicating needs to caregivers
• Increasing self-care skills

Fine and Gross Motor Skills

• Exploring art materials such as paint, clay, markers every day
• Independently exploring all areas of the classroom including art, dramatic play, blocks, science, music, books, and math.
• Moving independently through outdoor spaces that provide opportunities for gross motor development

3

Teacher to Student Ratio 1:7

Teachers create a warm and loving environment to help three year old children transition from toddlers into full-fledged preschoolers at a time in their lives when they are experiencing tremendous growth and gaining maturity.

Building on what is emphasized in the younger classrooms, skills developed this year include:

Communication and Relationship Building

• Waiting for turns
• Listening to and following directions
• Recognizing others’ personal space
• Using words to elaborate their feelings
• Managing emotions

Independence

• Learning to act independently
• Taking out their own snack and cleaning up afterwards
• Putting on coats and backpacks
• Taking responsibility for small jobs in the classroom

Refining Fine Motor Skills

• Cutting straight and squiggly lines
• Zipping and buttoning
• Drawing, painting and lettering

Reading Readiness

• Following stories, making predictions about stories, telling a story by looking at pictures
• Understanding that every word is made of letters and every letter makes a sound
• Learning to recognize their own name in writing
  

4

Teacher to Student Ratio 1:8

The general goal in the Pre-Kindergarten classrooms is to prepare students to enter elementary school, self confident and excited about learning. Students in this class hit different stages of development at different times, for those who are still developing their self confidence, social and academic skills to succeed in Kindergarten may choose to repeat the Pre-K class a second year. This is a positive tool for families who need just one more year of maturity.

Consistent with our play-based approach to the school, children in this class are not pressured to perform against academic milestones, but those expressing interest are afforded opportunities to build on their growing literacy. This curriculum is intentionally left flexible in order to be responsive to the children’s interests. The overarching goal is to introduce the beginnings of academic focus in a fun and successful way.

In the Pre-K classes students build on the skills they began to develop while in the three year old classes, such as:

• Independent thinking
• Cooperative play
• Collaborative work
• Fine motor skills
• Age-appropriate communication; as the year progresses, students are expected to make more of their own decisions and effectively articulate their needs and emotions
• Recognizing and writing letters and words through the Letterland Literacy Program
• Hearing and discriminating the sounds of language
• Interpreting meanings from books and stories
• Familiarity with the concept of numbers, counting and numeral recognition
• Asking and answering questions, and actively participating in discussions
• Predicting outcomes based on facts as presented to them
• Learning self-management, such as putting materials in their own cubbies and preparing to leave the classroom at the end of the school day
• Mastering basic scissor skills.
• Expressing self through art and music
• Healthy physical play
• Awareness of the larger world around them (helping the homeless, protecting the planet)