Our Early Childhood program for Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten is designed to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning in a nurturing and engaging environment. We focus on the holistic development of each child, fostering growth physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Our curriculum is thoughtfully aligned with the New York State Learning Standards to ensure a comprehensive and effective educational experience.

Nursery (Ages 2.9 to 3.9)

Our Nursery program is a world of discovery, where children learn through play and sensory exploration. The curriculum is designed to help our youngest learners develop crucial foundational skills.

• Physical Development: We focus on both gross motor skills like running, jumping, and climbing, and fine motor skills through activities such as drawing, painting, and building with Legos.
• Social and Emotional Development: Children build relationships with teachers and peers, learning to interact with kindness and empathy. We guide them in developing emotional competence, resilience, and a positive sense of self.
• Cognitive Development: Through imaginative and sociodramatic play, children develop reasoning skills, memory, and attention. Early academic concepts are introduced naturally through play.
• Early Math & Literacy: Children begin to recognize numbers 1-10 and identify shapes. Language skills blossom through read-alouds, rhyming, finger plays, and exploring our classroom library and writing center.

Pre-Kindergarten (Ages 3.10 to 4.9)

In Pre-Kindergarten, we build upon the nursery foundation with a more structured approach to academics, preparing students for the challenges of Kindergarten while keeping learning joyful.

• English Language Arts/Phonics: Students learn to recognize all letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds, including the long and short sounds of vowels. Comprehension is developed through picture reading and retelling stories.
• Writing: Fine motor skills are refined as children master a proper pencil grip, trace, and begin to print letters, including their own first and last names.
• Math: Concepts of whole numbers, counting from 1 to 20, and shape identification are solidified. Students learn to compare objects using terms like “more,” “less,” and “same.”
• Science & Social Studies: Children explore the world around them by learning about the five senses, healthy habits, animals, plants, community helpers, transportation, and the seasons.

Kindergarten (Ages 4.10 to 5.9)

Our Kindergarten program prepares students for first grade with a comprehensive and engaging curriculum that fosters academic confidence and a love of learning.

• English Language Arts: Phonics instruction becomes more advanced, covering vowel sounds, blends, and rhyming words. Reading comprehension skills are honed, focusing on identifying details and sequencing events.
• Writing & Grammar: Students develop their penmanship and learn to write proper sentences with correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. They are introduced to grammatical concepts like nouns and verbs.
• Math: The curriculum expands to include a deeper understanding of addition and subtraction, place value (tens), fractions, telling time, and using money. Students also learn to compare and classify objects and shapes.
• Science & Social Studies: Topics include living and non-living things, types of plants, and landforms. In social studies, students learn about community helpers, develop an appreciation for Black History, and differentiate between needs and wants.