Preschool (Ages 4 to 5 years)

The preschool years are an important time for building the confidence, independence, and skills children will carry with them into kindergarten and beyond. Our preschool program encourages children to explore, ask questions, make choices, and begin developing the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that help them better understand the world around them.

Our teachers provide engaging, age-appropriate experiences that strengthen language and communication, early reading and writing skills, math concepts, fine and gross motor development, creativity, and social-emotional growth. Children have opportunities to learn through stories, art, music, movement, imaginative play, hands-on activities, and a wide variety of educational materials in a safe and supportive classroom environment.

As children prepare for the next stage of their education, we also focus on important classroom skills, including listening, following multi-step directions, working independently, cooperating with others, expressing ideas, and making thoughtful choices. Through positive guidance and encouragement, we help each child develop a love of learning while building the confidence and skills needed for a successful transition to kindergarten.

 Emotional Development

  • Dress and undress self with assistance in some areas, such as tying, snapping, and buttoning
  • Care for own possessions and those belonging to the group most of the time
  • Place some toys, materials, etc, in their proper places without constant reminders
  • Learn and accept new routines and changes
  • Deal with emotions in a developmentally appropriate way, most of the time
  • Respond to redirection from staff in a constructive way, most of the time

Social Development & Living

  • Understand and participate as a cooperative member of a small group, most of the time
  • Share toys and equipment, most of the time
  • Make the choice between working alone and in groups and be able to do both at different times
  • Cooperate in some group activities and projects
    Categorize people, places, events, and objects in terms of whether they belong at childcare or home
  • Identify various kinds of transportation
  • Understand and participate in the celebration of some national holidays

Verbal and Written Language

  • Recognize and say personal information such as home address and telephone number
  • Give simple directions
  • Make up a story
  • Tell a version of a familiar story (e.g. the Three Bears, etc.)
  • Speak in complete sentences
  • Follow simple instructions
  • Ask for help when needed
  • Incorporate new words learned into everyday vocabulary (e.g. from curriculum and daily living, etc.)
  • Name basic objects and ideas that are important to daily routine (e.g. bathroom, front door, etc.)

Reading Readiness & Literature

  • Name some letters of the alphabet (e.g. upper and lower case)
  • Recognize some sign words in environment (e.g. stop, exit, etc.)
  • Listen and enjoy being read to
  • Answer basic content questions about stories a child has heard
  • Relate the endings of familiar stories (e.g. Peter Rabbit, etc.)
  • Name and tell about characters in stories
  • Recite one or two simple poems or rhymes
  • Relate basic cause and effect from a story child has heard

Physical Development
Gross Motor

  • Perform motor skills including sliding, leaping, stopping, and running
  • Walk a balance beam
  • Catch a small ball (e.g. softball, tennis all, etc.)
  • Perform physical fitness exercises such as bending, stretching, reaching, relaxing and breathing, etc.
  • Talk about why exercise is important and helps us grow (e.g. muscles, bones, etc.)
  • Use large muscle equipment (e.g. tricycle, slides, etc.)

Fine Motor

  • Use scissors and cut simple patterns
  • Use small paintbrushes and narrow line markers
  • Glue or paste small objects in simple patterns
  • Copy a triangle
  • Assemble an 8-11 piece puzzle

Cognitive Development
Concept Development

  • Recognize basic colors; red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, white, brown, and black
  • Identify similarities and differences of common objects on the basis of color
  • In addition to identifying a circle, square and triangle, identify a rectangle
  • Determine relative size of three objects in terms of big, bigger, biggest, and small, smaller, smallest
  • Identify similarities and differences of common objects according to their size and shape (e.g. tall/short tree, big/little dog, et.)
  • Develop an awareness of our five senses
  • Follow a sequence of at least three directions