2 year old program

Philosophy

We are dedicated to the philosophy that young children grow in an orderly and sequential manner with predictable stages of development. We recognize that each child is unique and accept children at their current stage of development. It is our intention to nurture the development of the whole child –physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual growth.

The program shall provide each child with age appropriate experiences, which will encourage:

Self-esteem and positive self image
Social interaction
Self-expression and communication skills
Creative expression
Large and small motor skills
Intellectual growth
Spiritual development

The program schedules shall be planned to provide a flexible balance of:

Active and quite activities
Individual and group activities
Indoor and weather permitting outdoor activities

Objectives

Our goal is for all the children to reach or exceed these objectives before leaving Crossing Point for Kindergarten.

The state of Texas has developed Prekindergarten Guidelines that offer detailed descriptions of expected behaviors across multiple skill domains that should be observed in 4 to 5 year old children by the end of their prekindergarten experience. The staff at Crossing Point uses these guidelines when developing our curriculum.

Our curriculum provides developmentally appropriate experiences for the learning needs of all children to help them have an effective and positive prekindergarten year.

The Prekindergarten Guidelines are divided into 10 skill domains, which have specific outcomes that the children strive to meet while at Crossing Point. Each child comes to our school with unique experiences and knowledge which influences their rate of learning. Therefore, some children will be at the beginning of the learning continuum while others will be further along. Crossing Point meets each child at their skill level and works with them on an individual basis.

10 Skill Domains

(As outlined in the Texas PreKindergarten Guidelines)

Social and Emotional Development

Cognitive development is very important but just as important is the emotional and social development of preschoolers. Crossing Point teachers help guide the children in social and emotional situations to help them build a sense of who they are and what they can do. Children will develop relationships with their peers, separate smoothly from mom and dad, begin to become independent in appropriate ways and participate appropriately in classroom activities.

Areas of development include:

Self concept skills – respects personal space, positive self image, problem solves
Self control- behavior & emotional control & focuses
Social competence-role playing, communicates effectively with peers
Social awareness – becoming aware of the needs and feelings of others

Language and Communication

During the preschool years young children’s language skills expand greatly. By providing language rich classrooms, the teachers are able to help the children get experiences that will help them as the progress in school. Oral communication is expanded by the labeling of objects and through conversations that take place throughout the school day.

Areas of development include:

Listening comprehension – following directions, responding appropriately to commands and questions
Speaking (conversation) – uses conversational language correctly
Speech production – children are understood by others
Vocabulary – labels items, describes people, places, things and actions
Sentences & structure – increases descriptions of items and begins to tell stories

Emergent Literacy: Reading

Children want to learn to read and write! The teachers at Crossing Point engage the children in reading and writing activities to help develop a love for reading and an interest in writing. Phonological awareness, awareness of the sounds in language is one of the key predictors of later reading success.

Areas of development include:

Motivation to read
Phonological awareness – letter sounds
Alphabet knowledge
Comprehension of read aloud stories

Emergent Literacy: Writing

Children begin to learn that words are made up of letters and that words have meaning through hands on activities. The children write in journals using pictures and “pretend writing”.

Areas of development include:

Motivation to write
Independently coveys meaning
Forms letters
Concepts about print

Mathematics

Problem solving is an integral part of our math curriculum. Children are encouraged to ask thoughtful questions, recognize problems that occur in their environment, and to use mathematical reasoning with familiar materials in their classroom. The teaching of mathematical concepts happens throughout the day not just at a set time.

Areas of development include:

Counting
Adding to/taking away
Geometry and spatial sense
Measurement
Classification and patterns

Science

Upon entering the four year old program the children will me the “The Quirkles”, a group of characters representing the letters of the alphabet. Each letter introduces the children to a different scientific concept.

Areas of development include:

Physical science
Life science
Earth and space science
Personal safety and health

Social Studies

Preschool children are interested in learning about the world around them. They begin with the world revolving around them and move to understanding that the world is a big place and is made of people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Areas of development include:

People, past and present
Economics
Geography
Citizenship

Fine Arts

Children love art! They learn to express themselves and recognize how other people express themselves through the fine arts.

Areas of development include:

Art
Music
Dramatic expression

Physical Development

Movement is the center of a child’s life. They learn so much by moving through their day and this world. Physical activity promotes cognition and helps enhance a child’s social skills and self-esteem through group participation.

Areas of development include:

Gross motor skills
Fine motor skills

Technology Applications

The use of computers is important for young children. It enhances their learning environment while teaching children to acquire information and possible communicate with others. We chose not to have computers at CPCS because children the majority of the children have access to computers at home. Working on a computer takes away the social interaction time, so computers can be done at home and the social interaction can occur in the classroom.

Meeting the Objectives in the 18 Month/2 Year Old Program

We strive for the children to meet or exceed the objectives outlined above. (Remember – these goals are goals that are school wide – the two year olds will only begin to work on these goals! Our goal is for the children to leave Crossing Point having meet or exceeded these goals when entering Kindergarten.) We work with each child at their level and help the children progress to meet these objectives. We do this through a variety of activities and in a variety of ways.

Thematic Approach

The thematic approach is used for curriculum development at Crossing Point. Thematic teaching enhances learning by allowing children to make connections between the various experiences during a school day.

Themes may include the following:

Family Shapes Colors Holidays

Weather Harvest Pets Seasons

Each year the teachers listen for clues from the children to determine where their interests lie. If the children express an interest in dinosaurs, for example, a unit on dinosaurs will be added.

Faith Building

Children will hear Bible stories, sing songs and learn that God loves them! The children will remember to thank God for their snack and lunch each day through song.

No doctrine is taught as we come together from different denomination, but our goal is to partner with parents and guide the children on their spiritual journey. Our hope is that Christ will be part of each child’s daily life.

Create a Christian atmosphere in the classroom
Children will see themselves as God’s children
Feel secure in God’s love and care
Listen to stories

Toddlers and Two’s come to school with a wide range of abilities; some children are working on their physical development (fine motor or large motor), some on their social development, while others are interested in “academics”. Some children are working on more than one area, so the teachers work on reaching all the children at their current stage of development. Each day the teachers offer a wide range of activities that touch on all areas of development. Some children may be ready to cut for example so they are given scissors while others may need more time socializing with their friends. All children are encouraged to continue to grow in all areas of development.

Below are some of areas that are covered throughout the school year.

Self

Points to facial features
Drinks from a glass and eats without mom
Begins to understand cleanliness
Identifies self by pictures
Develop self help skills

Math

Understands concept of “one”
Counts to 5
Points to big and little objects

Science

Knows names of animals
Matches two color samples

Art

Applies glue to paper
Paints in a variety of ways, including brushes, marbles, sponges
Colors with crayons and markers

Play

Children are provided opportunities for small group play
Children will be able to choose what they want to play and with whom
Offered a variety of equipment to play on and with
Large muscle development
Provide for construction activities and for the development of manipulative skills
Encourage social interaction
Encourage creative expression

Music

Music is used to help teach all concepts of the curriculum
Play simple rhythm games
Use musical instruments

Movement

· Movement Awareness – body awareness, rhythm, eye-hand & eye-foot coordination, spatial awareness

Locomotor Skills – walking, running, leaping, jumping, hopping, galloping, skipping, body rolling, sliding
Nonlocomotor Skills – dodging, stretching/bending, turning/twisting, pushing/pulling, swinging/swaying
Manipulative Skills – ball rolling, throwing, bouncing, striking, kicking, catching, trapping
Health Related Fitness – basic nutrition, flexibility, aerobic endurance
Love for Movement!!!