Park Presbyterian Church

What happens at Preschool?

Our School Days

Probably you are wondering just what your child will be doing during the two and a half hours each day. More importantly, how will these experiences contribute to his/her development? The philosophy expressed in the I Am - I Can child whose development in all areas is important to his/her well being and maturing is the basis for the activities that we plan and for the structure of our program. Children develop through stages that are common to all children, but each child has his/her own timetable. The development stages or tasks are like the rungs of a ladder, too far apart to scale the walls of maturity without stepping on each rung. Sufficient experience and skill in each task must be achieved before the next can be reached. Thus, we do not expect all the children to be at the same level of proficiency on all areas, but try to provide a variety of experiences to meet the individual needs of our particular group. Our curriculum is planned so that the concepts are arranged in order of skill acquisition, so the child can master a simple concept before progressing to a more complex one. By providing an opportunity for success, the child experiences a growing sense of self worth and a personal joy in learning. We try each year to adapt our activities to the children in the group.

The children’s day is structured to provide a balance of activities providing for individual, small group, and large group experiences.

1. PLAY AND LEARN CENTERS The pre-school rooms are arranged in “play” and “learn” centers which allow the child to participate as an individual or in a small group (four per center) in an activity of interest where hands on participation and learning can occur. Learning centers used in a warm, supportive atmosphere provide a wide variety of experiences while giving each child a chance to make choices and to develop his/her own interests. Learning centers provide “mini-environments” throughout the classroom. Special activities are planned in different centers each day. (It is here that our daily volunteers contribute leadership.) Young children learn best when they can test their curiosity against real experiences (versus purely verbal or visual). Thus this supervised experience in the play-learn centers is a central part of our program.

Our learning centers are:

1. Art Center
2. Truck Center
3. Housekeeping Center
4. Play Dough Center
5. Language Center (books, records and learning games)
6. Sandbox Center

Here are some of the things the child will learn while playing:

1. To make choices and grow in independence.
2. To discover and learn through hands-on experience.
3. To feel self confident because of success in achieving new skills.
4. To enlarge his/her vocabulary and communication skills.
5. To learn to think and problem solve.
6. To develop motor skills (large and small muscles).
7. To gain new information.
8. To develop socially and learn to relate to others in small groups.
9. To engage in imaginative dramatic play and role playing.
10. To act responsibly and care for materials and equipment.
11. To share and be responsible to others as a member of a group.
12. To develop self-control and acceptable social behavior.

2. GROUP TIME Because learning to be a cooperative member of a larger group is an essential life skill, experiences in circle time provide opportunities to listen, to concentrate, to communicate, to wait your turn, and to participate in socially acceptable ways. Music, learning games, finger plays, stories, movement, etc. enrich this time.

3. ROUTINE TIMES Hand washing, clean up, snack time, dressing, etc. also foster cooperation, responsibility, and independent self-help.

4. LARGE MUSCLE ACTIVITIES An important part of early childhood development is the ability to use body movements with skill and coordination. This not only uses the abundant energy of the age, but it provides self-confidence and has a relationship to readiness for more defined learning of basic study skills. Thus, we spend part of the morning outdoors in the play yard, or in our indoor play area downstairs, stressing motor skills such as balance, locomotion, eye and hand coordination as well as games, which help develop body control.