Curriculum
All three of the Child Development Centers are adopting the Active Learning Series curriculum. This curriculum was selected for a number of reasons:
- First, it provides a framework for the teachers to follow to assure the children are getting all of the experiences they need in their development - kind of like a "blue print" for the children's education.
- Secondly, this curriculum allows the teachers to incorporate culture into all of the activities and routines in the centers. It also fits with the "thematic approach". This means that all of the activities can be planned around a certain theme; for example, "Baby Animals", "All About Me", "Friendship", etc.
- Finally, it is a good, solid set of activities and opportunities that your children will enjoy, as they're learning.
INFANT TODDLER CURRICULUM
From birth, infants are marvelous learners and immediately investigate the sights, sounds and flavors of the world. Our teachers have been trained to respond quickly and appropriately to your baby’s needs, and to provide stimulating activities to enhance their development.
Areas of emphasis in the infant classrooms are:
- Ensuring health and safety needs are met
- Helping each child trust their environment and form bonds with caregivers
- Allowing time and space for all our infants to explore their environments and themselves.
- Helping them be aware of people and things around them.
- Developing large motor skills: sitting up, crawling, walking
Daily schedules for our infants are based around the desires of the infant and the family. Each child has their own eating and sleeping schedule. We do check diapers every hour for each infant. We also ensure that each infant goes on a walk at least once a day, weather permitting.
CHILDREN'S DWELLING CURRICULUM
Group Time
During a typical day, your two-year-old will enjoy two group times with her classmates, during which the teacher reads a story, teaches the class a song, discusses a theme related topic, or facilitates some other activity.
Once a week, the children and staff participate in Kindermusik instruction. A trained consultant teaches both the children and staff this music and movement program. Then,
Discovery Time
Your two-year-old will be on her own to explore the materials and learning activities set up in the classroom, as well as participate in various teacher-directed projects. You will find more than one teacher in each classroom. This allows one teacher to supervise and interact with the children during their child-initiated activity, while the other teacher is able to manage a small group.
Teacher-Directed and Child-Initiated Activities
Teacher-directed and child-initiated activities are both important to your two-year-old. Teacher-directed activities are designed and led by the teacher to meet a particular learning goal. Your child's teacher might read a book to a group, lead a music or movement activity, or work with a small group on a specific planned and prepared art activity. Teacher-directed activities also include those that require more supervision and assistance, such as food activities or sponge painting. In most cases, the teacher stays with the children from start to finish.
Child-initiated activities are those that the children select on their own from an environment that has been carefully planned and prepared by the teacher. For the most part, these activities can be done without adult assistance. For example, your child may choose to use the puppets from the book and storytelling center. Or, she may dress in the clothes in the block and building center. While the teacher sets out the materials, the children's interests and imagination guide their selection and use, thus they are child-initiated. Child-initiated activities allow your two-year-old to make choices and learn about her environment in her own way.
In addition, our classroom has ample time for important routines such as lunch, snack, and naptime.
PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM
As in all of the centers, there is a combination of teacher directed and child-initiated activities. Native culture in included in our daily routines and activities.
One day of the week, the children participate in instruction in Lakota singing and drumming. They are then given the opportunity to practice throughout the rest of the week. The children also attend Music classes at Theodore Jamerson Elementary School, the elementary school on campus, a couple of times each week.
The learning centers in the classrooms may include the following:
Creativity & Art Center - including painting supplies, pencils, crayons, markers, easels; recyclables such as wallpaper samples, fabric pieces and collage materials; glue and scissors; various paper supplies and magazines (that have been reviewed).
Math & Manipulatives Center - including a small calendar, weather and number charts; magnetic numbers, puzzles, games and flash cards; safe manipulatives for sorting (large buttons, stamps, stickers, etc.); paper, pencils, notebooks, index cards; measuring cups and spoons, cookie cutters in varying shapes and other materials used to weigh and measure.
Science or Discovery Center - including sand and/or water table; magnets and magnetic items; feathers, leaves and other items from nature magnifying glasses and mirrors.
Dramatic Play Center - including dramatic play furniture (materials available depend on the current theme), dishes, utensils, place mats, pots, pans, food sets, telephones, computer keyboards, old typewriters, dress up clothes, purses, wallets, shoes, menus, a cash register, paper, pencils.
Reading & Listening Center - including children's literature (with the current theme-related literature), magazines, song and poem charts; an audiocassette or CD player, headphones, stories recorded on tape and/or other tape-recorded songs; stories and poems; a soft elements such as rugs, pillows and beanbags; and a bookshelf.
Writing Center - including pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers; various paper supplies, index cards; recycled magazines (that have been reviewed), menus, books, newspapers; clipboards and notebooks; and magnetic letters and flash cards.
