Curriculum

Our curriculum provides for all areas of development - social, emotional, cognitive, and physical and our standards are consistent with the National PA Dept. of Education content standards for EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING.

Our programs are based upon Developmentally Appropriate practices. Therefore, our activities are child-centered and child-initiated supported by teacher intervention to ensure the quality of play. This we believe is the best environment to promote and encourage THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING. This is also the best environment to capitalize on the child's unique interests and abilities.

Children may work cooperatively or independently in our classroom. Messes and spills and laughter are EXPECTED. We have an outdoor play area complete with a Butterfly Garden, a currently occupied Bluebird House, and pavilion. We also have a large indoor play area where our Music & Movement program takes place twice a month, and children can play in inclement weather. Our hands- on Science Room is a place where children are encouraged to touch and experiment. Themes in this room change monthly and include rocks and minerals, machines, and water activities to name a few. Field trips include visits to the Pumpkin Patch, the Apple Orchard, Frances Slocum State Park, and the Back Mountain Library.

Children in our Four Year Old classes go to Learning Lab once a week. In Learning Lab the same skills we are developing in the regular classroom are reinforced in a more structured environment. Learning Centers focusing on a set of themes - a letter in the alphabet, a color, a shape, a skill (such as cutting, left/right, etc.), writing activities, an "opposite" (such as over/under, full/empty) and a reading center are completed by each child. In this environment our four and five year olds can build confidence in their abilities, and prepare for the next step in their education - Kindergarten!

AM Sessions.......9:30-12:00
(Some AM session schedules may vary from this by up to 15 minutes)
PM Sessions.......1:00-3:30
Classes and specific days offered are determined by registration.

PLAYGROUP is offered for children who turn two by September and do not turn 3 before December 30th. The specific day(s) for Playgroup will be determined after registration. One day or two day Programs weekly are available.

CLASSES FOR THREE YEAR OLDS are offered for children who turn three after September 1st and WILL NOT turn four before December 30th. Two day and three day programs weekly are offered.

CLASSES FOR YOUNG FOUR YEAR OLDS are offered for children who turn four after September 1st and will not go to kindergarten the following year. This program is offered three days weekly.

CLASSES FOR FOUR AND FIVE YEAR OLDS will be offered for children who have turned four before September 1st. Three day, four day, and five day programs weekly are available.

CREATIVE KIDS KINDERGARTEN EXTENSION

Creative Kids is offered to morning Kindergarten children in the Dallas school District. The children are bused to TECEC from Dallas Elementary and Wycallis Elementary. Here they eat lunch (brought from home) and continue their day participating in Art, Science and Cooking activities, all while reinforcing the Dallas curriculum. We are hoping to be able to add a morning session of this program for afternoon Kindergarten students in the near future!

Typical Daily Routine

The two and a half hours the children are at Nursery School are filled with fun and learning. We thought you might be interested in knowing how a daily session progresses.

CIRCLE TIME
Our day begins and ends here, with one more in between! Circle time is when themes and daily activities are presented. They include songs, fingerplays, completing the calendar, reporting on the weather, receiving a job for the day, and great discussions!

FREE CHOICE
Children may choose to work (play) in various learning centers, including Construction, Family Living, Science and Discovery, Reading, Math, Writing and an Art Center. More centers are added with different themes throughout the school year. All centers include activities to prepare the children for their next level of learning. Kindergarten readiness skills are emphasized in the four year old classes. All students are encouraged to clean up their classroom together.

PLAYTIME
Gross motor activities in the playroom and outdoors when possible.

SNACKTIME
Snacks are provided daily. We are a peanut free school. Other food allergies are addressed on a class by class basis.

SCIENCE ROOM
Once a week children go to our hands-on science room where they are encouraged to experiment with a variety of activities based on the monthly theme. Themes include Rocks & Minerals, Machines,and Water to name a few.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
Our Music and Movement program is taught twice a month to all the classes. In this class, children participate in rhythm and singing activities, as well as creative movement and gross motor activities.

STORY TIME
Literature in the classroom is utilized in a variety of ways. Older classes often use books as the basis for daily activities, integrating center work around them. Teachers often begin or end their day with a story.

Extended Hours Programs

ART CLASS I & II (alternates each year)

Our Art Class is offered to children in our Young Four and Four Year Old programs. This class provides hands on activities designed to help the children explore the styles and techniques of the world’s greatest artists in an age appropriate way. This class meets once a week for 6 weeks in the fall. Children in the AM program bring their lunch and are dismissed at 2:30.

PLAY PALS

Play Pals is just what you would think, more play time for your child! Children bring their lunch from home then continue their day with indoor and outdoor play. Board games, computer games, parachute games, and art projects are just a few of the activities planned for the children. This class meets once a week in 6 week sessions throughout the year. Young four year olds and four year olds are welcome to register.

MATH AND LANGUAGE

Our Math and Language classes begin with a challenging group Math activity for the children. From there, the teacher will present the story for the day which will be the springboard for additional Math and Language activities. In this structured environment, we focus on Kindergarten readiness and enjoying good literature. Children will eat lunch brought from home before class begins. This class is offered to our four year old students who will be attending Kindergarten the following fall.

All of our Extended Hours programs are currently offered in the afternoons. We hope in the near future to be able to offer them in the morning for our afternoon students.