Program Description
Day Care/Nursery School/Kindergartners
Examples of Self-directed
Activities
Examples
of some Teacher-directed
Activities
Infant/Toddler (6 weeks to 36 months) - Room photos
Curley’s Kids Care infant/toddler program will be based on relationship planning, emphasizing child-directed learning. The environment will ensure safety, offer children appropriate developmental challenges and promote optimum health for children. Equally important is to make a meaningful connection between childcare and the child’s family. The foundation of this program is based on primary care, small groups, continuity of care and individualized schedules and routines. This provides a climate for care that reinforces our responsive relationship based approach.
Specifics
Child
will form attachments to a primary caregiver
Expression
emotion
Child
will test motor skills, moving parts of ones body or moving one’s whole
body
Responding
to and identifying pictures or photographs
Listening
and responding to music
Exploring
and imitating sound
Participate
in communication give and take
Enjoying
stories, rhymes and songs
Discovering
object permanence
Exploring
objects with hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose
Exploring
and noticing how things are the same or different
Anticipating familiar events
Day Care/Nursery School/Kindergartners (3, 4, and 5 years old) - Room photos
Curley’s
Kids Care 3, 4 and 5 year old program is based on the thematic approach using a
hands on approach. The staff will
develop activities (based on educational objectives) that are age appropriate
and geared towards each child’s stage of development. Children will be active learners - observing, questioning,
comparing, and problem solving. Children
will learn to express their feelings in appropriate ways to get along with
others. They will be encouraged to
respect personal property. By
establishing a nurturing, inviting, trusting environment with age appropriate
activities, children will be prepared for a smooth transition into their
elementary school experiences. The
schedule includes self-directed/teacher directed activities, small/large group
play, snack, lunch, book time and naptime.
Provide
opportunities to demonstrate and practice their newly developed self-help
skills (toileting, dressing, pouring, setting tables, and picking up toys).
Provide
opportunities to play by themselves next to another child (parallel play) or
with one or two children (cooperative play).
Introduction
to large group time: with limited time, lots of participation with finger
plays, creative movement, and songs.
Encourage
children to take turns, share and support beginning friendships.
To
provide plenty of space and time indoors and outdoors for children to
explore and exercise their large muscle skills running, jumping, catching
balls, etc.
Provide
time for children to choose tasks.
Provide
many materials and opportunities for children to develop fine motor skills
such as puzzles, peg board, beads to string, construction sets and art
materials (playdoh, brushes, scissors, markers).
Provide
materials and time for children to explore and learn about the environment,
use natural curiosity.
To
encourage children’s developing language by speaking clearly and listening
to children’s responses.
To
provide experiences and opportunities to extend children’s language
through nursery rhymes, songs, finger plays, reading stories.
4 Year Olds
Provide
opportunities to develop social skills such as cooperating, helping,
negotiation and expressing feelings to others.
To
guide children in developing self-control by modeling and encouraging
expected behavior and setting clear limits.
Develop
an understanding of concepts about self, others and the world around them
with a variety of activities and field trips.
Children
will be encouraged to make choices and be independent.
Children
will be encouraged to think, observe, question and problem solve.
To
develop language and literacy through meaningful experience such as
listening to stories and poems, acting out stories, dictating stories,
seeing classroom charts and other print.
To
develop strong auditory/visual discrimination to make comparisons,
sort/classify.
To
develop math concepts such as: one to one correspondence, equivalency, time
concepts, identify numbers.
To
recognize name.
Have
daily opportunities to use large muscles by running, balancing and jumping,
to learn about the outdoor environment and to express themselves freely.
5 Year Olds
Provide
an atmosphere, which will allow a child to relax or to release extra energy.
Provide
opportunity for dramatic play.
To encourage role-playing “trying on different hats”.
Provide
opportunity for self-expression through art, music and language.
Have available to children pen/pencil, paper; collage materials,
paints, tape recorder, musical instruments, and library books.
Provide
opportunities for testing of physical strength such as climbing, bike
riding, ball throwing/kicking/catching, swinging.
Provide
opportunities for children to play with one another to strengthen
relationships.
Before/After School Programs - Room photos
Curley’s Kids Care will establish a smooth transition for 6 to 12 year old children from their school setting to their Before/After school program. The before/after school program is designed to provide a warm, understanding relationship between the child and staff. The setting will allow a quiet place for kids when needed or a place to release their excess energy. The goal of the program is to add enrichment through encouraging hobbies and new skills. The youngster will be given choices of activities to participate in. Board games, quiet reading, dramatic play, computers, and other special interest corners will be provided. The children will also be able to participate in special interest clubs such as: scrapbooking, model car building, dance club, athletic clubs, etc. Curley’s also provides a fitness club in which children participate in physical activities at the fitness gym in our plaza. The staff will help youngsters select something of interest and will provide the materials and guidance they need. Children will also be encouraged to participate in serving our community. A nutritious snack will be provided in a social, family style atmosphere.
Specifics
Promote
a climate that fosters a youngster’s self-confidence, persistence and
other positive dispositions as learners.
Provide
a curriculum that develops a youngster’s skills in all content areas (art,
music, science, and physical education).
To
promote pro-social behavior (cooperating, negotiating, helping and talking
through interpersonal problems) through positive guidance and positive role
modeling.
To provide enriching experiences with field trips or on-site speakers, community workers or parents with special interests or talents.
Examples of Self-directed Activities
Art
Area - cutting, pasting, drawing, painting, playdoh, clay designing
and creating with other art materials
Computer
Room - Living stories, matching/counting/spelling, games and related
activities
Quiet
- reading, homework
Games
- variety of games for different ages
Large
Motor Play - inside play escape
(adult supervised), outside sports
Examples of some Teacher-directed Activities
Sorting
and Classifying - Children will be directed to sort and classify
items by such things as color, size, shape, texture…
Circle
Time - Teachers will lead the class in activities such as counting
on the calendar, discussing the weather, fingerplay songs, music
and dancing, story time, discussing the themes of the week…
Arts and Crafts – “Santa Puppets”, yarn wreaths, Valentine note holders, pumpkin painting, tissue paper art, paper mache, wood sculpture building, etc.
When a family is planning to attend Curley’s, we feel it is important that the family visit the center before they attend. We encourage families to bring their children with them in order to meet the teachers, see the classrooms, and learn about the routines. Before a child begins, families are encouraged to visit and participate in the classroom (parent must stay with the child). Before your child’s first day, he/she will be assigned a locker, a coat hook, a file, and will be input into the computer to be signed in and out everyday by the parent. The first day, the family will need to use the door buzzer to get into the building. That afternoon, a code will be assigned to the family. Parents are encouraged to bring in the required paperwork as soon as possible so that it can be checked over by the director. This paperwork must be complete before the child’s first day at Curley’s. We will also go over an enrollment form which will give parents all the important information that families need when they begin at Curley’s. Welcome to Curley’s!
As a child grows, they will inevitably transition into the next classroom. At each move, parents are encouraged to meet with their soon to be teacher, in order to obtain all information about the new classroom, including rules, expectations and routines. Before an official move, each child will have a transition period of at least two weeks, in which they will visit the classroom at various times throughout the day, in order to begin to know their new teacher, classmates, and expectations. Again, we strongly encourage families to meet with the child’s new teacher.
Classroom Rules, Expectations and Routines
Each classroom has their own set of age appropriate rules, expectations and routines. Please discuss these with your child’s teacher.
It is our hope that whenever an issue comes up, that Curley’s parents will approach their child’s teacher first. Many times, by speaking to the child’s teacher, the issue can be quickly resolved.
If the parent feels that the issue has not been addressed, we encourage our parents to speak with the Director or Owner. Everything discussed will be kept confidential, and if desired, the parent may meet with the Director or Owner privately, in the office.
It is our goal to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment for our children. We are always interested in our parents input, and want to know about any difficulties that may arise. Thank you!