The Preschool Program is available for children 3 to 5 years of age in the mornings from 8:30 – 11:45, the afternoons from 12:45 – 4:00, or all day from 8:30 – 4:00. All preschool programs are five days a week, Monday through Friday. The class has a maximum size of twentyseven children with one lead teacher and two assistant teachers.

Children who are enrolled for the full day bring a sack lunch and eat at 11:45, followed by a rest period. Children who do not fall asleep may read a book or quietly work a puzzle on their cot during the rest period until the afternoon preschool session begins.

The preschool class is composed of a mixed-age group to allow for cognitive stimulation while meeting each child’s social needs. The day is divided into three segments: large group time, individual work time, and outdoor activity. Each session begins and ends with a large group time which includes poems, games, fingerplays, stories, large group lessons in social graces, music and movement activities.

A one-and-a-half hour period of independent work follows, where children choose their activities based on individual interests and levels of development. Teachers guide children in their choices and give lessons one-on-one or in small groups according to the needs of each. Natural science and outdoor education are important elements in the curriculum, and time is set aside daily for outdoor exploration and physical activity.

Work may be chosen from five curricular areas. Practical Life includes activities that teach children to care for themselves and the environment. Examples of these include: food preparation; dressing skills (buttoning, zipping, buckling, tying, lacing); woodworking; sewing and weaving; gardening and care of indoor plants; flower arranging; washing dishes, tables and windows; polishing silver, leather items, and wood; transferring solids and liquids with various tools such as tongs and eyedroppers. These activities develop the child’s small and large muscle coordination, sense of independence, sense of order, and ability to concentrate.

Since children gain information through their senses, the Sensorial area aids in the development of perception and sensory awareness. It gives them opportunity to sort and classify items according to height, length, dimension, weight, mass, sound, texture, taste, smell, and function. They match pictures items to the scents they possess, grade textures from smooth to coarse, arrange tablets of color in a carpet of light to dark hues. This area contains geometry materials as well. Children learn the names of shapes, not only circle, triangle and square, but also trapezoid, quatrefoil, and curvilinear triangle. They learn about geometric solids (cube, ovoid, square-based pyramid) and their bases. They explore rearranging triangles to form a hexagon, rhombus, and parallelogram.

A Letter Recognition Matching Work

The Language materials provide for pre-reading and phonic skills. Vocabulary enrichment and experience with both verbal and written language is important. Games emphasizing auditory and visual perception skills are used frequently. Children are given much practice with basic concepts such as opposites, prepositions, rhymes, go-togethers (hammer and nail, bird and nest), and sequencing. A study of phonics guides each child’s development in reading and writing skills and allows for variety of creative expression.

In the area of Math, children are first introduced to concrete examples of quantity and symbol from 1 – 10, then 0 – 100. The decimal system with ones, tens, hundreds and thousands is explored and leads into forming numbers with numeral cards and quantities of beads into the nine thousands. Problem solving, measurement, and telling time are also introduced in the preschool. The Cultural area provides exploration of Geography, in learning about the names of continents and landforms such as lakes and islands, capes and peninsulas. The study of Physical and Earth Science lets children learn about the wonders of the natural world. The Cultural area also includes the study of other cultures and history. Art, music, creative movement, foreign language, and lessons in grace and courtesy are part of this curriculum as well.

The learning habits established in the preschool years foster qualities such as initiative, concentration, self-discipline, a sense of order, persistence in completing a task, creative self-expression and the love of learning. The social development of children occurs as a result of interaction within a mixed-age group. Through daily participation in both small and large groups in a caring environment, an attitude of sharing and cooperation develops positive social skills.