Early Childhood Center (Age 3-5)
The Early Childhood Center (ECC) curriculum provides education for Early Learners (K1), Pre-School (K2), and Kindergarten (K3) students. The instructional methods focus on developing each child’s social, emotional, physical, and language confidence as they navigate through diverse learning environments within their classroom and during their special courses such as Thai Language, Physical Education, Music & Movement, and Swimming.
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Early Learners (K-1) Program
Early Learners program is designed to create confident, independent, and imaginative learners through various experiences that allow the children to explore the world around them and develop social interaction skills with other children and adults.
The focus of the program is learning through play. Numbers, colors, shapes, and some letters of the alphabet are introduced. Pre-writing and pre-reading skills are supported through informal activities and instruction.
Multiple outdoor activities, Music, Art, Movement, Physical Education and Field Trips are organized along with classroom activities.
Students’ progress reports are based on their social, emotional, physical and language development.
Pre-School (K-2) Program
The Pre-School K2 program is designed for students who have completed K1. This program prepares the student for the common core standards that will need in order to be prepared for K3. The program is designed to help in Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and in Social and Emotional Development.
Literacy and Language
Students are becoming aware of the beginning and ending sounds, rhyming words and rudimentary phonics. Teachers help students make the connections between the written word and the language they hear and speak
Math
Students are gaining and awareness of numbers, patterns, relationships between numerals and counting
Science and Social Studies
The awareness of learning about our world, living things and concepts of how to classify things in our world come into clarity for the K2 student. Because the young child learns through play much of the science and social studies is learned in play, music and stories done during small groups or center time.
The Creative Expression is highly encouraged during Art and Music classes. The Social and Emotional Development is also the main focus in Physical Education, Movement and Swimming classes.
Kindergarten (K-3) Program
As in Early Learners and Pre-School, the four areas of development are still important, but the Kindergarten students are preparing for entry in to primary school and First grade. So the day is more academic for this age level and assessed on standards while doing things in a very hands-on method incorporating art and music to make learning fun. Inquiry based learning begins at this level and continues on through the primary years.
English Language Arts:
The Massachusetts Standards and Common Core Standards are very specific. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics are the beginning foundations for our Kindergarten students as they begin the steps into reading. Using emergent readers to promote concepts of print and strengthening their confidence in reading. Many of our ECC students after two years of being in ECC are entering Kindergarten ready to read. Our belief is to take a child from their position of learning strength and allow them to grow and learn as far as they can.
Mathematics
Once again using the standards and math vocabulary for their level, kindergarten students explore the world of numbers with hands-on materials. Students begin with counting and cardinality of numbers and from that basis learning how to solve equations using the operations of addition and subtraction. Kindergarten students learn to explore geometry with 2 dimensional flat shapes and then using 3 dimensional shapes that they can connect with real life objects.
Science and Social Studies
Science and Social Studies standards are cross integrated into the curriculum through informational text in reading as well as using discovery and inquiry at science centers to promote science and social studies standards
Social and Emotional Skills
The challenge for every child in K3 is learning how to behave in a more academically rigorous setting. In Kindergarten we continue that process that we have been learning in their earlier years. Promoting the children to be giving and contributing members of their class and the greater school community.
