Our philosophy of education centers around play. Play is the most complete educational process of the mind. This allows the development of the "whole" child – intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically – and facilitates the natural unfolding of each child's potential. In return, the child experiences a growing sense of self-worth and a personal joy in learning.

Young children learn in a different manner than do older children. Young children learn by actual contact with real objects, events, and people. (That's why field trips, outdoor play, and other exciting activities are so important.) Young children learn by involving themselves in exploring, discovering, repeating, and by continually adapting what they see into their daily lives.

Young children are not yet prepared to learn by words alone. They do not learn by explanations or descriptions of things that are far off in time or space. Just because young children can repeat words easily, does not necessarily mean they understand and grasp the meaning behind the words. It is only through varied, first-person real life experience that words are filled with meaning for the young child.

Preschool is a time to begin learning independence, while developing trust and respect for others. An important part of this program is social adjustment, sharing and cooperating with others. Our goal is for them to "want" to come to school by stressing that "learning is fun." There are many skill levels and unit topics covered during a school year, and we try to make all of it fun and interesting. Included in these units are numerous projects and many forms of art for enhancement. Most important of all is the child learning to see himself/herself as an individual who is unique with qualities unlike any other.

Early Threes Curriculum (Preschool 3)

A. Activities

This is usually the first school experience for the Early Three’s. It is a time for the child to develop independence, to learn and expand social skills, and build a sense of himself/herself as a problem-solving and reasoning individual. Our program includes story time, a daily art project, movement to music, and group activities which will allow the child to develop a curiosity for life and a way to express his or her individuality.

B. Skill Areas Covered
   1. Motor Skills
     a. Large motor movement
       (1) Running
       (2) Jumping
       (3) Climbing
       (4) Learning movement to music
     b. Small motor movement
       (1) Crayons, markers
       (2) Paints
       (3) Glue
       (4) Manipulative games
       (5) Puzzles
       (6) Learning finger plays
       (7) Building with blocks

   2. Language Development
     a. Circle time
     b. Singing songs
     c. Reciting finger plays
     d. Reading stories
     e. Feeling comfortable expressing ideas
     f. Question of the week
     g. Name recognition

   3. Social Skills
     a. Learning to share & play well with others
     b. Learning personal space and boundaries
     c. Learning to respect the property of others
     d. Learning to respect the feelings of others
     e. Manners

   4. Math Development
     a. Counting numbers 1 through 10
     b. Introducing shapes and colors
     c. Color mixing

C. Unit Topics
   1. Colors
   2. Shapes
   3. Dinosaurs
   4. Space
   5. Animals
   6. Insects
   7. Sea life
   8. Plants
   9. Holidays
   10. Seasons

Three Year Old Curriculum (Preschool 2)

A. Activities

The three year old needs to build a sense of themselves as a problem-solving, reasoning individual, while developing trust and independence. This is accomplished through many play experiences. Play is a key mode to development. This program includes daily art projects, skill builders, circle time and group activities, allowing the child to gain a greater awareness of his/her individuality.

B. Skill Areas Covered
   1. Motor
     a. Large motor movement
       (1) Running
       (2) Jumping
       (3) Climbing
       (4) Learning movement to music

     b. Small motor movement
       (1) Crayons, markers
       (2) Paints
       (3) Glue
       (4) Manipulative games
       (5) Puzzles
       (6) Learning finger plays
       (7) Building with blocks

   2. Language Development
     a. Singing songs
     b. Reciting finger plays
     c. Speaking in complete sentences
     d. Feeling comfortable expressing ideas
     e. Introducing lower case letters
     f. Question of the week
     g. Name recognition

   3. Social Skills
     a. Learning to share and play well with others
     b. Learning to respect the property of others
     c. Learning to respect the feelings of others
     d. Manners

   4. Math Development
     a. Counting numbers 1 through 20
     b. Sequencing
     c. Graphing

C. Unit Topics
   1. Colors
   2. Shapes
   3. Dinosaurs
   4. Space
   5. Animals
   6. Insects
   7. Sea Life
   8. Plants
   9. Holidays
   10. Seasons

Four Year Old Curriculum (Preschool 1)

A. Activities

The four year old program will help your child gain the skills and personal readiness necessary for Kindergarten. This program includes daily art projects, skill builders, circle time and group activities, allowing the child to gain a greater awareness of his/her individuality. Letters and their relation to sound will be introduced. We will emphasize understanding of number concepts as opposed to learning to count by memorization. Your child will create his/her own art work and will be proud of his/her own creation. Good development of fine and gross motor skills must occur before your child is ready for prolonged "seat work."

B. Skill Areas Covered
   1. Motor Skills
     a. Large motor movement
       (1) Jumping, running
       (2) Rolling and throwing a ball
       (3) Distinguishing right and left hands
       (4) Rhythmic movement to music and clapping

     b. Small motor movement
       (1) Control with crayons, markers, paint
       (2) Using paste and glue
       (3) Doing finger plays
       (4) Writing first name when ready
       (5) Scissors

   2. Language Development
     a. Expressing ideas
     b. Speaking clearly
     c. Speaking in complete sentences
     d. Singing and reciting songs and finger plays
     e. Speaking in front of peers

   3. Reading and Math
     a. Introduce upper and lower case letters
     b. Introduce left and right
     c. Introduce top and bottom
     d. Classify objects
     e. Dictate stories
     f. Days of the week
     g. Patterning
     h. Sequencing
     i. Estimating
     j. Identifying basic shapes
     k. Beginning number concepts
     l. Counting

   4. Science
     a. The five senses
     b. Nutrition
     c. Weather
     d. Animals
     e. Seasons

   5. Social Studies
     a. Myself, my friends, my school
     b. Community helpers
     c. Transportation

   6. Art
     a. Basic colors
     b. Crafts
     c. Painting

   7. Music
     a. Singing and moving to music
     b. Following directions from songs
     c. Rhythmic clapping

   8. Social Skills
     a. Working and playing with others
     b. Self-control
     c. Respecting property of others
     d. Recognizing and accepting responsibility

C. Unit Topics
   1. Dinosaurs
   2. Space, Stars, Planets
   3. Sea life
   4. Insects
   5. Farm Animals
   6. Holidays
   7. Seasons
   8. Alphabet
   9. Rhyming

Program Goals

By the time your child completes their experience at Highlands Preschool, our goal is for them to be ready for kindergarten in a variety of ways. Here are some of the things we are striving for your child to accomplish:

Colors and Shapes