Pre-k Curriculum Overview

Kindergarten readiness is the focus of our pre-k program. Children engage in a daily whole group learning time, small group activities, and self-guided play as they learn about the routines of school. Hands-on experiences are a focus of the curriculum because we know that children learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process. Academically, our pre-k learns how to write letters, numbers, name, his/her phone number and address as well as learning about the seasons, senses, and classroom independence.  There is a strong focus on pre-literacy skills. Also, basic math such as shapes, colors, spatial concepts, sorting, sequencing, and patterns are learned.  Gross and fine motor skill activities along with visual perception activities are also a part of this curriculum. Our well-rounded play-based curriculum is enhanced by music, in-house trips (dentist, firemen, etc…), and field trips. Our pre-k curriculum is further enriched by our Fitness Friday program in which our students engage in various forms of organized exercise routines and learn healthy eating habits from our registered dietitian through games and cooking activities. In addition to our fitness program our pre-k also participates in an Art and Artist program where they study various artist and produce a piece inspired by the artist. Classroom student-teacher ratio is 1 teacher to 10 children with additional support staff.

Goals of our pre-k program:

Social Skills, Self Help & School Routines

• Work and play well with classmates
• Care for own belongings
• Extended attention to task
• Emerging ability to work independently
• Use words to solve problems
• Transition from one activity to another easily
• Listen respectfully and take turns speaking
• Maintain self-control
• Talks easily and enters into casual conversation
• Follow 2-3 step directions

Math Skills

• Identify numbers 0-10
• Use words to rote count from 1-30
• Identify colors (red, yellow, blue, green, orange and purple)
• Match and sort objects based on shape, size, or another attribute
• Copy shapes
• Understand graphing
• Recognize a two and three-part pattern
• Count up to 10 items

Language Skills

• Recognize common sounds
• Retell simple stories in sequence
• Understand position and direction
• Understand simple time concepts
• Begin to learn age, birthday, address, phone number, and parents’ names
• Learn days of the week, months of the year, and seasons
• Understand rhyming words and opposites
• Recognizes most letters of the alphabet (upper and lower case)
• Emerging letter/sound correspondence

Reading Readiness

• Remember objects from a picture
• Looks at books and magazines
• Recognize some nursery rhymes
• Identifies parts of the body
• Identifies common objects and functional use
• Identifies common farm and zoo animals
• Pronounces own first and last name
• Expresses self verbally with clarity
• Identifies other children by name
• Understands meaning of simple, familiar words
• Understand that print carries a message
• Pretend to read
• Use left to right progression
• Answer questions about a short story
• Identify own name in print
• Print own name
• Recognize some common/basic site words

Fine/Gross Motor Skills

• Display proper grip when using crayons or markers
• Handle scissors appropriately and cuts with some accuracy
• Button and zipper garments
• Copies simple shapes
• Write letters and numbers
• Write name
• Throw a ball
• Jump, hop, skip, march and run
• Completes simple puzzles
• Use classroom manipulatives competently