BEGINNERS/INTERMEDIATE CURRICULUM - (2 ½ and 3 year olds)
At this age, our primary goal is to introduce the children to a school setting that allows them to feel both secure and stimulated. We understand that this may be your child's first experience away from parents and a great deal of sensitivity is used regarding separation. Keeping the developmental stage of each child in mind, learning centers are set up in the classroom that incorporate colors, shapes, letters and numbers. To enhance eye-hand coordination and develop problem-solving skills, manipulatives and puzzles are readily available each day. Dramatic play is an important part of our curriculum at this age as well as in the older classes. Pretending allows for creativity, social interaction and language development while practicing life skills.

Circle Time: This is a time when the children and teachers will gather on the rug to sing a welcome song, talk about immediate plans and either a book or felt story will be offered. As the children begin to mature, more will be added to this time. The concept of "who is here today?" will be introduced as will the calendar. These activities will emphasize letters and numbers. The purpose of Circle Time is to stimulate thinking, enrich social skills and expand the child's attention span.

Music and Movement: In addition to the classroom music and movement that is a significant part of the children's day, a Music Specialist, with a background in Early Childhood Development, visits the classrooms each week. While exploring sound, volume, tempo and rhythm, the children will enhance listening skills, creative expression and social skills.

Cooking: This experience is an important one for our littlest learners. Whether it is play dough, pizza muffins or scrambled eggs, the children will take part in the preparation and delight in the result. During cooking activities, the children will measure, pour, stir, knead and observe. Cooking provides a laboratory for learning that introduces concepts of math and science while developing social and physical skills.

Art: In order to provide opportunities for creative expression and to reinforce fine motor skills and concept development in the areas of color, shape and size relationships, many types of art are available to the children. Whether it is easel painting, finger-painting, water color or collage, more attention is given to the process then is given to the resulting product.

Gross Motor Activities: Gross motor skills (large muscles) are continually being developed through indoor and outdoor games and play as well as during music and movement.

Fine Motor Activities: Throughout our curriculum, there are activities that will allow the children to develop and refine their small muscle (hand and wrist) movements. While cutting, tearing, drawing, and writing, they are developing the fine motor control they will need to actually begin to form letters.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM - (4 year olds)
Building on the sound foundation of our Beginners Program, we continue to challenge the abilities of our four and five year olds. It is our philosophy that kindergarten readiness consists of more than writing and recognizing letters and numbers. It is a love for learning, an increasing attention span, a feeling of comfort in who you are, a confidence in what you do and say and a sense of security in standing up in front of the class to show what you can (or cannot) do. These, along with letters and numbers, are the kindergarten readiness skills we give our children in CHA's Early Childhood Program. Our teachers implement a program that is designed to insure that our children are prepared for kindergarten when they are age and developmentally ready.

As the children grow and develop, so will their capabilities in music and movement and fine and gross motor activities.

Circle Time: As the attention span of the children increases, minutes and activities may be added to circle time. At this stage, the children are listening to a story, talking about the day's activities, the calendar and the "Letter of the Week". "Who is here today?" will now include recognizing and spelling names as well as counting who is here and who is not. Included in circle time are letter and number recognition games, positional (over/under, left/right, etc.) games and core value and character education exercises.

Art: In addition to the experiences gained by the children while in the Beginners and Intermediate Programs, our Pre-K students will observe cause and effect as they mix colors, enhance creativity as they choose different materials and textures for their collage and develop their ability to label shapes and objects (painting a yellow circle and calling it a "sun"). They will continue to develop small muscle skills and refine their eye-hand coordination.

Language: Throughout our Early Childhood Program, children are encouraged to use their words. Through daily story telling, reading, songs and "just" talking and listening, the children develop self-expression, the ability to question and increase their vocabulary. Dramatic play will not only encourage creativity and social interaction but it will also set the stage for the development of language. Teachers encourage the children to dictate their words to tell a story or describe their art. By having their words read back, the child becomes aware that there is meaning to the written word.

Math: Enhancing the curriculum of the Beginners and Intermediate Programs, the children will add a foundation of Everyday Mathematics, a hands-on program that continues throughout Lower School. In addition to counting and number recognition, estimation, positional and sequencing games will be played. By using daily activities, learning centers and small and large groups, the children are given opportunities for problem solving and collaboration. Block play is an important part of the early childhood experience. In the Beginners, Intermediate and Pre-Kindergarten classrooms, the children will have the opportunity to learn about size, shape, length and weight and, of course, balance and spatial relationships as they construct cities, towers and roads with unit blocks.

Science: Science is in all areas of our Early Childhood Program every day. It's in the mixing of paint, the digging in sand, the measuring of flour for a desired consistency, the observation of ice melting and the planting of seeds and watching them grow (or not). Whether making snow in coffee cans or watching all the colors bleed from a wet black marker, science is hands-on, educational, fun and very exciting.

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