Our Curriculum
Obviously as a result of age differences our curriculum varies per classroom. The children under our care are exposed to the use of modern technology along with the regular class room instructions in the areas of arts (e.g. music, art-work), literature (e.g. story reading), gym, and more. Each classroom is personalized by our teachers applying various techniques and experiences along with their observations. The children are exposed to the alphabet and numbers as well as topics based on the world around us.
PreK1 (12-24 months)
Naturally Toddlers attending classroom for the first time have to be gently coached; they are exposed to many of the themes and topics for the first time. As a result we apply a more hands on approach. The children experience more repetition to help them gain language skills in preparation for literacy later. The teacher spends about two weeks on each theme to help the children experience the knowledge of a certain topic and when relevant they experience the feel, smell, or even taste. Teachers use various crafts, films, songs, pictures, drawings and stories enabling the students to experience what they are learning first hand.
PreK2 (24-26 months)
E.L.A’s Toddler Plus class is a continuation of the theme based learning from the toddler group. These students study more details and spend more time using fine motor skills practicing cutting, gluing, drawing, and tracing. Having been exposed to so much already we take a step further and allow them to use higher order thinking skills to create, ask questions, explore and narrate.
Pre-K3 &4 (3-4 years old)
The Pre – K class spends more time focusing on pre-literacy awareness. The children learn to trace and experience basic writing in the areas of the alphabet, science, social studies, and simple math. These topics are incorporated within the themes they are studying. At this stage our children use the Smartboard to interact even more with the world around them. The students spend time in various Learning Centers each day to strengthen various skills. These Centers could include a computer station, listening station (either stories or songs), arts and crafts station, puzzles station, and more. Realizing that these children are growing quickly we promote responsibility and independence.
Kindergarten (4-5 years)
The Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Program is a child-centred, developmentally appropriate, integrated, extended-day program of learning for 4 and 5-year-old children. Its purpose is to establish a strong foundation for learning in the early years, and to do so in a safe and caring play-based environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of all children. The Kindergarten program is based on the understanding that children develop within a complex set of interrelated systems inclusive of the family, the school, the broader community, and the world.
The goals of the Kindergarten pgram are as follows:
* To establish a strong foundation for the early years by providing young
children with an integrated day of learning
* To provide a play-based learning environment
* To help children make a smoother transition to Grade 1
* To improve children’s prospects for success in school and in their lives
beyond school
Best New Jersey preschool!