prekindergarten

ready for school
Prekindergarteners have built a strong foundation of learning and are ready for more structured skill building. Our goal is to help them build communication, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and executive functions skills—the 21st century skills they’ll need to thrive in school and in life.

PreKINDERGARTENERS learn to:

PREKINDERGARTEN Program

Getting ready for kindergarten, learning the skills necessary to thrive — in school and in life!

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prekindergarten - two boys reading

Collaborative Exploration

In prekindergarten, children are busy preparing themselves for the big transition ahead! Four and five-year-olds learn best in a structured environment full of independent and collaborative exploration that provide opportunities to observe, compare, analyze, connect, and hypothesize.

STRUCTURED LEARNING ACTIVITIES

In prekindergarten, school readiness skills are fostered through whole-class activities, small group activities, and individual interactions with the teachers, as well as times for play woven throughout the day.

Purposeful Learning Environment

First Circle’s prekindergarten classroom is set up for intentional learning: organized and engaging, equipped with fun, playful, and purposeful materials that foster independent exploration, play, and socialization. The classroom encourages learning in all the domains and is designed to protect children’s health and safety, as well as support their needs for activity, sensory stimulation, outdoor activity, rest, and nourishment.

A SAFE AND POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

The prekindergarten classroom is a safe and positive environment, rich in emotional support, with responsive teachers who respect children’s individual learning needs. We create the perfect environment to give children ownership of their own learning, and the ability to build independence and their school-ready skills.

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teacher instructing students at daycare

Knowledgeable and Responsive Teachers

Our nurturing and experienced prekindergarten teachers support each child’s unique learning style, helping them learn and refine skills in the core areas necessary for school success. Teachers are sensitive and responsive to children’s needs and create a warm and caring environment that helps children feel comfortable and individualizes the learning experience.

MEETING EACH CHILD’S NEEDS

Using instructions, examples, and encouragement, teachers model language and pro-social behavior, and build on children’s excitement. By observing each child’s development and providing choices and responsive care, the teachers individualize the learning experience to meet each child’s needs.

a peek at my day

PREKINDERGARTEN curriculum

Curriculum is the heart and soul of any learning program. Our unique curriculum, Connecting My World, encompasses all of the care and teaching that happens in our program. Connecting My World teaches children the critical knowledge, skills, and concepts important for school readiness.

AREAS OF LEARNING

Children don’t learn at the same pace or in the same way, so our curriculum supports individual strengths and interests, and respects each child’s learning styles, pace, temperament, developmental stage, and needs. Comprised of five interrelated areas of learning, Connecting My World develops children cognitively, linguistically, socio-emotionally, physically, and creatively. All five areas of child development are essential to develop the readiness skills necessary to help children be successful in school and in life.
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me and you

Me and You takes prekindergarteners through an exploration of themselves, their community and their environment to support the growth of their self-concept and self-esteem, develop critical socio-emotional skills, and prepare them for being global citizens. In prekindergarten, children learn the basics of history, geography, economics, and civics, the diversity of people, cultures, and the environment. They develop self-competence and social and relationship skills; vote on classroom projects and hold a bake sale to buy toys for a family in need and learn to resolve conflicts. During the day, they have plenty of opportunities to practice self-management, strengthen relationship skills, and build character and leadership in the classroom community.

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brain power

Brain Power introduces the materials, techniques, and technologies that provide natural avenues to STEM learning and ensures that children have daily opportunities to learn the important skills of reasoning, hypothesizing, predicting and theorizing. Prekindergarteners work with math manipulatives such as counters, beads, and pegs to build skills in counting, patterning, and sorting; from their daily activities, children learn about sequence of events, patterns, and routines. With cooking projects and science activities, they learn to count, measure, use words about time, estimate, and solve simple number problems, while learning about the physical properties of materials. They experiment to see how things work, manipulate objects, and use their senses and scientific tools to observe, interpret data, make predictions, test, and draw conclusions.

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imagine that

Imagine That takes children on a journey through the visual, musical, creative movement and dramatic arts which foster creativity and imagination, and give children an appreciation and understanding of the arts. Imagine That focuses on the process of artistic creativity by engaging children in diverse open-ended experiences and activities such as writing and illustrating books, learning about great artists, and listening to different genres of music, which helps children have a better understanding of and make meaningful connections to art and artistic expression.

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healthy me

Healthy Me provides children with daily practice in making healthy choices, opportunities to be physically active, and the knowledge to understand why taking care of themselves is important. Prekindergarteners work with writing materials and pencils—as well as cutting and folding—to develop the fine motor control they will need for writing. Outside, they run, jump, climb, and play games to develop coordination, healthy bodies, and active habits. They cook tasty and wholesome recipes together, establish class rules as a group, and play cooperative games, which reinforces routines, knowledge, and the habits that prekindergarteners need for a lifetime of keeping themselves healthy and safe.

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word smart

Word Smart prepares prekindergarteners with a foundation for successful reading and writing in school. WordSmart ensures that children are practicing and expanding their higher-level language skills and building new vocabulary. Prekindergarteners practice writing letters and words, learn to recognize and read their own name, and those who are developmentally ready have time to practice reading. They use new vocabulary in extended conversations, explore print materials—including high-quality children’s literature—and play rhyming games. Phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and writing activities are integrated into the day, and tailored to each child’s learning needs.

CHARACTER EDUCATION

Our unique character education program is an important part of our curriculum. MyCharacter includes learning objectives that teachers use to help children successfully develop and practice critical social skills, problem-solve, think creatively, make good choices, resolve conflict, persist through challenges, and build self-esteem.

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sense of self

self-competence

Labeling feelings in a game of “Feelings Bingo” develops self-competence

resilience

Acting out books or stories about resilience and perseverance builds skills

self-management

Creating a plan for who will be line leader each day develops self-management skills

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relationships

integrity

Telling stories at circle time and asking “what would you do”? practices integrity

respect

Discussing how and practicing ways to be “in charge” of your own body develops respect

compassion

Making a class book of “how we show kindness” practices compassion

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citizenship

community

Drawing maps of home, school, and town develops community

mindfulness

Caring for the classroom plants and animals develops mindfulness

helpfulness

Holding a bake sale to raise money for giving practices helpfulness

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leadership

courage

Reading books and exploring examples and ways to be brave develops courage

positive attitude

Trying to build a wall with different methods and materials practices positive attitude

responsibility

Creating a list of classroom and playground safety rules practices responsibility

learn more about our curriculum

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

AREAS OF LEARNING

CHARACTER EDUCATION

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