Maximum Class Size: 8 Students
Teacher-to-Student Ratio: 1-4
Curriculum: Innovations: Doors to Discovery
Develop independence in accomplishing tasks themselves
Expand interactive social skills with peers
Learn, sing, and interact with familiar songs
Participate in sensory play (sand, water, beans, etc.)
Recognize and identify colors
Identify and participate in routines
Practice counting to ten
Recognize and enjoy reading familiar books
Develop early writing behaviors
Increase repetitive and expressive language
Participate in conversations within the classroom community
Understand shapes, counting, simple patterns, and cause & effect
Gain more body control and gross motor skills through music and movement
Develop reasoning and problem-solving skills
Develop a personal sense of art through access to multiple art media
Developmental screenings are conducted twice yearly, once in the beginning of the school year and once in the late Spring, to assess student progress and growth. This allows teachers to assess skill levels and target specific developmental deficits for each child. Daily communication is sent home on each child regarding activities, behavior, sleep routines, etc.
Doors to Discovery, a literacy-based curriculum, is designed to develop the five areas identified by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as the foundation of early literacy success: oral language, phonological awareness, concepts of print, alphabet knowledge and writing, and comprehension. Classrooms are filled with print, language and literacy play, storybook reading, and writing allowing children to experience the joy and power associated with reading and writing while mastering basic concepts about print which research has shown are strong predictors of achievement.
The classroom utilizes a multi-sensory approach to learning, incorporating sensory activities daily.
In regards to discipline, first and foremost, a positive praise theme is used in order to foster good behavior within the classroom. Redirection is also used consistently in our classrooms. If behavior issues persist, the teachers work closely with the parents and our thearpy staff to create an individualized behavior management/modification plan for the child.