And just like that, it is nearly October. We started our first day of curriculum this past month, and want to share with you what exactly that entails. It can be difficult to see how curriculum can impact or shape an infant classroom, and can look an awful lot like play time and arts and crafts in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms. We are hoping to demystify our curriculum, and provide you with some of the details of what your child will learn this school year.
We have three different core curriculums at our schools, dependent on the age of the student: 1) Starfall Curriculum, 2) The Creative Curriculum, and 3) Every Day Counts Curriculum. We also have Creative Outlets 4 Kids, which is an a la carte-style supplemental active curriculum, to help kids learn about movement, yoga, and dance.
Starfall curriculum is the Kindergarten Curriculum, and it
“provides the materials and guidance teachers need to skillfully and joyfully incorporate research-based reading and language arts skills and strategies, integrate social studies and science, and meaningfully employ technology in their classrooms.”
It integrates math, science, health, creative arts, social studies, physical movement, early literacy, and social-emotional development into imaginative play and guided instruction. It does this through teacher demonstration and one-on-one partnership between the student and teacher. The lessons are designed to ensure that curiosity will spark within the student, and give the student the skills to express themselves both verbally and in writing.
The Creative Curriculum is what Creative Minds Learning Centers use in the Infant through Preschool Classrooms. It focuses on exploration and discovery by the student, so the student will gain confidence while building their creativity and critical thinking skills. It is all designed to help the student prepare for preschool or kindergarten, providing the essential building blocks that students need in their educational foundation.
The Every Day Counts Curriculum enriches daily math instruction in the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms. It is a supplemental curriculum that incorporates calendars, practice counts, and partner games into daily activities to build mathematical fluency, reasoning, and a conceptual understanding of computing numbers.
In addition, we provide a Reggio-inspired art program. This program is based off of the Reggio Emilia approach, which values each child as “strong, capable, and resilient; rich in wonder and knowledge.” It is not a method, but a value system within the school. Our art program is thus student-driven, as children are capable of constructing their own learning.
The three curriculums give our schools the core goals that our teachers are meeting each year. The teachers enhance the curriculum with their own energy and personality, creating daily lessons that cultivate a positive learning environment. The curriculums do incorporate a lot of art and play, but that is because part of our mission is to help children explore their interests in a creative and artistic setting. Our goal is to help guide children in a structured setting while also providing them with vital learning opportunities.
For more information on our the curriculum and program that CMLC follows, visit our Program Page
Sources:
creativecurriculum.net
starfall.com
hmco.com
aneverydaystory.com
