GENERAL INFORMATION
The first days/weeks of Preschool are a big step for you and your child to take and often the first social setting your child may be in without a parent/guardian. Being adequately prepared for this milestone is key to your child’s success and transition. To make the transition a little easier you may want to try some of the suggestions below.
- Read picture books about school to help lessen apprehensions and help your child develop positive feelings about school.
- Enroll in a special classes prior to Preschool that are designed to gradually ease your child towards independence and get use to structured activities such as story time and following directions on a small scale.
- Attend library story times or special events where other young children are present.
- Take advantage of other opportunities to leave your child in a safe environment without you (such as with a grandparent or babysitter) for a short periods of time.
- When leaving your child in care of others, do not linger. Your child can easily pick up on your hesitation or anxiety. Tell your child you will return and give them a reassuring hug and walk away.
- Begin speaking and having your child speak English at home if it is not your family’s primary language so that your child can be understood and is able to express themselves to others (they will not lose their home/primary language). Being on their own without you is sometime unsettling to a child and it only complicates the situation if they cannot understand or communicate with the teachers or other children.
- Toilet independence is required to start in Preschool. Practicing self-help skills to master this process before school begins will lead to positive self – esteem (pull ups and diapers may NOT be worn in or during class).
Please remember to check your child’s classroom bulletin board daily for important information.
RESOURCES
Preschool Curriculum
Our program’s goal is to prepare each child for entering Kindergarten. We follow the Illinois Early Learning Developmental Standards. We achieve this by providing each child the opportunity to grow at their own pace in large and small groups as well as one on one. Our teachers create lessons that incorporate the skills to master achievable age appropriate goals. To you and the average person, it may appear as “all they do is play”, however, to a child, the best way to learn is through play.
Handwriting / Letter Recognition and Math / Number Recognition
We use many resources to develop handwriting and math skills by incorporating hands-on, multisensory materials that are designed in such a way that introduces shapes, numbers, and letters in an order that matches the progression of children’s developmental abilities so that it is easier for them to practice, learn, and remember.
We utilize an array of resources such as but not limited to: Handwriting (Learning) without Tears; Handwriting / Numbers Galore; teacherspayteachers; A-Z Handwriting NO PREP and so much more. Our 4 year old / Pre-K programs are even beginning to learn sight words for early beginning reading prep (these are words commonly seen such as “a, to, the, and, at, go, be, can, etc).
Capital Formation Chart
Hold My Crayon
Landscape Print Ready
Lower Case Letter Formation
Mat Man
Number Formation Chart
Paper Letter Pieces
Show Me My Name
Informational Preschool Resources
Areas Of Skill Development
Before School
Beginning Reading
Developmental Learning Concepts
Developmental Profile: 3 Year Old
Developmental Profile: 4 Year Old
First Steps to Acknowledging Child’s Fears
Give Me Five
Illinois Standards
Independence and Success in Life
Learning Styles
What Do We Do In Preschool
Philosophy of Learning
Potty Training Cheat Sheet
Reveal the Hidden Math
Speech & Language Development
Parent Resource Link
“W” Sitting
What to Expect
When to Stay Home
