Early Childhood Center(ECC)

    The Early Childhood Center is a program comprised of 3 to 5 year-olds divided into three separate classes: Early Learners, Preschool, and Kindergarten. Each class has one teacher with 1 to 2 teachers assistants. School hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. Children have breakfast, a morning snack, lunch and a light afternoon snack prior to returning home. There are school vans that provide daily transportation services for those who need it. Along with their regular classroom activities, these young children participate in Art, Music, and Physical Education classes. A nap/rest time is part of the daily schedule for all three levels.

Class Size

The Early Learners: 12 students with 1 teacher and 2 assistants.

The Pre-school: 15 students with 1 teacher and 2 assistants.

The Kindergarten: Maximum 15-20 students with 1 teacher and 1 assistant.

 

Philosophy

     Early Childhood is a crucial stage of life in terms of physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development and general well-being. We believe in developing independent, creative, and confident individuals. In early childhood education, children are learning to grow in their skills, take risks in learning, and build strong foundations in a playful and nurturing community. Through various cultural experiences we hope to develop contributing members of the global community.

 

Communication                    

         

       We believe that ongoing communication between the parents and the teachers is vital to a successful learning environment. Individual communication books are sent home daily with each child that allow communication between the teachers and the parents/caregivers. A midterm Parent-Teacher conference is scheduled each semester. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to meet with their child's teacher in addition to the scheduled parent-teacher conferences if they feel the need.

 

Behavior

                 

      In the ECC, the focus is on teaching children how to make good choices, but we also teach them that bad choices have consequences. Expected behavior is discussed in the classroom and enforced daily. If there is a behavior problem, the teacher or assistant will speak with the child about the situation, what good choices could have been made, and how bad choices affect others. If the problem continues, the child may be removed from the situation or made to take a short break. Any problems will be communicated to the parents so that both the parents and the teachers are able to help the child manage his or her behavior and encourage the child to make good choices.

 

Facilities

           

   The Early Child Center is located on the new building. Each of the classrooms is equipped with a bathroom designed for this age group. There is a separate nap room for the Early Learners and the Preschool classes. The ECC has a separate eating area where a full-time cook prepares nutritious, well-balanced meals. The playground area is adjacent to the classroom where the children enjoy recess and outdoor play in a safe enclosed area at a separate time from the Elementary School children.

        

    

Swimming and Physical Education

              

     Swimming is part of the NIS P.E. program. We feel that it is important that children learn how to swim and be comfortable around the water starting at an early age. Our experienced P.E. teachers and instructors work with the children on water safety and swimming skills both with and without floatation aides. Teachers - assistants are also in the pool to assist the PE teachers to ensure a safe and fun experience. Swimming classes are held once a week while the weather is warm. When the weather starts to cool off, around mid November, swimming classes are usually replaced with P.E. classes held in the gymnasium. PE activities include running games, ball play, tumbling, and other age appropriate activities geared toward developing the children's physical and mental coordination.

 

Food Services

                   

     Meal times are both social and a time for learning. Good experiences at mealtimes help children to develop a positive attitude toward food and nutrition. Great care is taken to ensure that the children are offered well balanced and healthful meals. The daily schedule includes breakfast, a morning and afternoon snack, and lunch. A weekly menu is sent home to parents each Friday. The meal times are well supervised by the teachers and staff. Children are taught table manners and are encouraged to learn about nutrition and healthy choices while they eat. The teachers sit and eat with thechildren, creating a family-type atmosphere.

 

Special Events

      

     Culture plays an important role in an international school, such as NIS, with a multinational student body. Culture influences the way people think and interact with one another. We weave aspects of different cultures into the curriculum through the topics we have chosen for special occasions such as Christmas, Hanukah, Chinese New Year, Loy Krathong, Songkran, Halloween, and International Day. By doing so, we give children the message that each and every child is important and worthy of respect.

 

The Early Learners

     Early Learners is the program for three-year-olds.  This program includes 12 students, 1 teacher, and 2 assistants. At this age much of what is learned is through play.  Numbers, colors, shapes, and some letters of the alphabet are introduced at this level.  Pre-writing and pre-reading skills are supported through informal activities and instruction.

     Children are assessed on their social, emotional, physical, and academic development.  Themes and projects are based on the interests of the children.  We have taken field trips to the zoo, elephant farm, and umbrella factory.  Throughout the year we also do various activities such as planning a party, cooking, visiting other classroom, and preparing a show for the Kindergarten Graduation.

     Overall, this program is designed to create confident, independent, and imaginative learners through various experiences that allow the children to explore the world around them.

 

 The Pre-School

     N.I.S. offers a well-balanced Preschool program that focuses on providing children with an environment to gain independence, self-control, and learn how to assert themselves in socially acceptable ways.

     The Preschool classroom is divided into areas of interest with varied materials and work centers which offer children a range of interesting choices.

      Our Preschool program is designed to be age and developmentally appropriate as it alternates between guided learning activities and free play. The children have plenty of time for both indoor and outdoor play. 

      Our focus is on making learning fun.  Children study colors and shapes, numbers and letters, and work on various art and craft projects. The program incorporates math readiness and reading readiness skills as well as beginning writing skills, and Home Science.  The Preschool is designed to lead into the Kindergarten program as it moves along the Early Childhood developmental continuum.

This year in Preschool we have:

• One teacher, two assistants and 15 students of different nationalities. These include American, Indian, British, Thai, Japanese, Dutch, Malaysian and Korean.
• Daily projects where children use paper, colors, paints, glue and scissors. These develop both their creativity and their fine motor skills. A letter and a number of the week become the main focus.
• A wide variety of classroom activity centers including:  puzzles, blocks, matching games, play dough, puppet theater, home center, book center, listening center and a computer center.
• Music Appreciation time- (twice a week) -Children dance and sing their favourite songs accompanied by a live piano and a guitar.
• Physical Education (twice a week.) - Children enjoy swimming classes in both the small and large pool.  A variety of PE activities are carried out in the gym.  

Two field trips per semester are organized to provide our children with valuable educational and social experiences.

 

The Kindergarten

     For many, Kindergarten marks the start of formal education. Our Kindergarten class is designed to develop the skills and confidence that lead to success in elementary school. It is an environment that supports children through hands-on exploratory learning.  The children work on skills such as listening, following directions, and personal responsibility as well as language development and early literacy.

     Our Kindergarten class has 15-20 students with 1 teacher and 1 assistant.   We follow a modified curriculum to support a range of language abilities.

     During the week we do various activities and projects to help build literacy skills.  In Language Arts, we study a letter of the week, and all of our extension activities are based around that letter.  This method is designed to build a solid foundation for Pre-Reading.

     In Math we use the Scott Foresman Kindergartentextbook.  The children work on patterns, number relationships, simple addition and subtraction using manipulatives and other hands-on activities.

     The classroom is set up in centers where the children learn to work on their own and with others.  Through these centers, a child can gain independence, develop friendships, and care about themselves and others. 

     In Kindergarten, the children learn more about responsibility, the guiding focus of our classroom environment. As they develop and master a variety of skills they learn about their responsibilities as important members of the Kindergarten Community.

 

 Download ECC application form