CURRICULUM & PHILOSOPHY

We want you to feel that you are a part of your child’s life here and to understand more about what we do everyday. We believe that children should be allowed to grow and learn at their own pace. This enables each child to become confident in themselves as learners. The curriculum has three main goals:

· To help children learn about themselves and the world around them

· To foster learning through play and imagination

· To encourage children to feel good about themselves and capable as learners

These goals guide everything we do in the ALC program.

We have organized the center to make it a safe place for children to explore and to learn. We keep the children’s toys and materials on low shelves, and in low easy-to-open drawers. This makes it easy for children to find and play with toys and learning material they enjoy. It also helps them learn how to make choices and be independent. All children also have a place to keep their personal belongings such as jackets, blankets, and pictures to bring home. This lets them know they are a valued individual members of the ALC community.

When you visit, you will notice we have a schedule posted at the entrance of every classroom. This lets children and parents know what to expect throughout the day. Having a predictable schedule makes young children feel secure. The schedule is flexible, allowing for group activities, individual exploration, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, indoor play, and outdoor play as well as rest periods throughout the day.

ACTIVITY OUTCOMES

The children will be experiencing and learning many things through play. The following goals guide the day-to-day activities of ALC’ s curriculum.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT:

§ To recognize objects, people, and self

§ To imitate actions of others

§ To develop decision-making capabilities

§ To develop problem-solving skills

§ To develop language skills

§ To develop planning skills

§ To develop math skills such as matching, pairing, and classification

§ Enhance creativity

§ To begin to understand scientific and physical concepts and math concepts such as gravity,
cause and effect, balance and size shape and color.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

· To be able to express feelings

· To develop a concept of self

· To develop self-control

· To develop self- understanding

· To develop a positive self- image

· To develop the ability to stick with a task to completion

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT:

· To acquire social skills

· To cooperate with others

· To respect materials

· To respect other people

· To appreciate and value differences

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:

· To refine sensory abilities

· To develop large muscle abilities

· To develop fine muscle abilities

· To develop hand-eye coordination

· To refine visual discrimination

· To refine listening skills

· To establish reading readiness skills

· To refine listening skills

· To establish reading readiness skills

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT:

· To recognize other cultures and develop an appreciation of other cultures

· To learn about their own individual culture

· Find ways to connect various activities to the world around them