About Us
Our Preschool Classrooms at ECDC-ND and ECDC-SMC
During the school year program (link), each ECDC site has four preschool classrooms for children ages 3-5 years – 3’s, 3/4’s, 4’s, 4/5’s. Children are placed in classrooms based on their date of birth. The 3’s and 3/4’s rooms have 20 children with 3 teachers, and the 4’s and 4/5’s rooms have 24 children with 3 teachers.
Rhythm of the Day:
The daily schedule is a thoughtful balance of child initiated activities and teacher initiated activities as well as a balance of quiet and more active experiences. The children spend time in small group and individual activities as well as large group activities. Outside play time is an important element of every day as the weather permits. Daily activities include literacy, math & science, art, music & movement, gross motor, and rest time/quiet activities. See a sample preschool daily schedule here.
Curriculum:
Children are engaged in developmentally appropriate integrated learning experiences as they explore their world. Children use a variety of materials including paint, blocks, dramatic play props, puzzles and manipulatives and books to investigate topics of interest/studies. Studies include families, food and nutrition, multicultural music, water, transportation, community helpers, animals, forests, gardens, authors and illustrators, and many more. Literacy learning is a vital part of each study as children participate in storytime, bookmaking, drawing and painting, songs, fingerplays, and group discussions about each study. Skills from all curricular areas – math, science, social studies, music, creative movement and fine arts – are integrated within each study.
Learning Experiences and Goals:
In addition to establishing a classroom that is safe, inviting, developmentally stimulating, full of friendships and fun, the teachers have general overarching goals for the children. While teachers will work with families individually to establish more specific individual child goals, many of our general goals are listed below:
- Relationships with Others – developing positive friendships with peers and teachers and developing the tools to problem-solve with others
- Respect, Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Resourcefulness
- Self Help Skills – including hand washing, blowing noses, dressing and undressing for toileting and to go outside, putting materials away, and managing their art box and lockers.
- Literacy Development – including letter recognition, phonemic awareness of consonants, beginning writing – moving from scribbling to representational marks to writing individual letters to beginning to write own name legibly.
- Mathematical Learning – including spatial relationships – over/under, in/out, in front of/behind, matching, sorting and classification, sequencing (3 step), counting with 1:1 correspondence, recognizing and copying patterns, numeral recognition, etc.
- Science Learning – including an inquisitiveness about the world around them, cause and effect, making predictions, caring for living things (fish, plants, garden)
- The Fine Arts – awareness, appreciation and engagement with the fine arts, including music, art, movement, drama, and creative expression
- Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills – including increased awareness of self in space, eye-hand coordination (ball catching and throwing), climbing, pedaling, strength, balance, and control, writing and drawing with varied materials and implements and manipulatives
- Attributes, Dispositions and Approaches to Learning – self-confidence, friendly, cooperative, curious, creative, initiative – eager participation in new or novel experiences, persistence, flexibility, generous, empathetic, lending a helping hand, taking turns, and a love of learning.