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“There is in every child at every stage a new miracle of vigorous unfolding, which constitutes a new hope and a new responsibility for all.” -Erik Erikson
Contact Us: (858)-487-0824 Email: phunter@rbcpc.org
The preschool years are a very special stage in your child’s growth and development. Most likely, your child is constantly asking questions and is incredibly curious about the world around them. Young children are learning all the time. At our preschool, we work to support your child’s learning by building on your child’s natural curiosity.
We create an environment which encourages exploration, observation and experimentation. Through the active process of interacting with materials, equipment, teachers and their classmates, your child will build a base of knowledge and skills that will last a lifetime. Young children’s learning is best supported when parents and teachers partner.
Understanding our preschool program is an important step in building this partnership. This websitestrives to share “everything you ever wanted to know” about RBCPC Preschool.
An overwhelming task in many ways! Our hope is that we have created a website which provides a concise, informative overview of our program.
Philosophy
“When I approach a child, he/she inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he/she is, and respect for what he/she may become.” -Louis Pasteur
Program Mission
We are committed to Share God’s Love through Developmentally Appropriate Programs which encourage Active Relationships and Celebrate the Uniqueness of the Individual Child while Strengthening and Supporting Families in our community.
Our Mission guides;
- our program design,
- our curriculum goals,
- our hands on work with children and families and,
- our relationships with children, families, and one another.
“The purpose of life is to listen –to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world and to God….and, when the time comes, respond in as helpful a way as you can find….from within and without.” - Fred Rogers
Sharing God’s Love
Children’s spiritual development is fostered through the unconditional love and support they receive from our staff, through prayer, songs, stories and recognition of creation and God’s blessings. Children and families attend Chapel times which include short stories, songs and prayer. Our preschool offers opportunities for children and families to participate in mission throughout the year by reaching beyond our preschool community to help fill the need of others.
A young child’s joy in discovery, learning, and finding something out for the first time is, in fact, the ultimate celebration!” - Francis Wardle
Program Options/Enrollment
Our preschool is open to children/families regardless of race, creed /color or ability, which might benefit from our program.
Programs are offered for children one year of age – 5 years of age.
Programs include:
Learning Together……..a workshop for parents and children (one year of age) meeting one day per week.
Growing Together……a workshop for parents and children (two years of age) meeting one day per week.
Enrollment for Growing and learning Together is done on an on-going basis throughout the year.
Funtastic Twos…….an entry class for children two years of age meeting either one or two days per week for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Funtastic Threes…..an entry class for children three years of age meeting one day per week for three hours.
Preschool classes are offered:
For children three years of age prior to Dec. 2 of the school year….
Tuesday /Thursday Mornings or Afternoons or Monday/Wednesday/Friday Afternoons
Morning Session is 8:30 – 11:30 Afternoon Session is 12:15 – 3:15
For children four and five years of age prior to Dec. 2 of the school year…..
Monday/Wednesday Friday Mornings
or Afternoons or Monday-Thursday Mornings or Afternoons
Morning Session is 8:30 -11:30 Afternoon Session is 12:15 – 3:15
Lunch Bunch is offered for children participating in our preschool classes. Morning Session is 10:45-12:15/Afternoon Session is 11:30-1:00.
Families can sign up for Lunch Bunch in the Preschool Office
Enrollment for Funtastic and Preschool classes begins in March prior to the upcoming school year which begins in September. The enrollment policy is set forth by the Early Childhood Education Committee (ECE) according to the following guidelines:
- children currently enrolled
- children of RBCPC members
- siblings of current preschool children
- children of the community at large in order of the waiting list
Families can call the preschool office and have their child’s name placed on the waiting list. The waiting list is be updated on a regular basis.
Family Education Classes dates and times are posted on the preschool web site….rbcpcpreschool.com. Family Education includes:
Math/Science Workshop for parents and children
Reading /Writing Workshop for parents and children
Kindergarten Readiness Workshop for parents and children
Parent Education classes for parents only.
“Learning and development are interrelated from the child’s very first day of life”. - Lev Vygotsky
Goals of Our Curriculum
RBCPC Preschool has established a “continuum” of curriculum goals which guide the planning and implementation of daily activities/experiences.
The goals focus on all domains of your child’s growth and development; Social/Emotional, Spiritual, Physical, Cognitive, Language, and Creative Expression.
It is important to remember each stage of a child’s development is complete in itself. A three year old child is not an incomplete five year old child.
A child is not an incomplete adult. We respect and value where each child’s unique path of growth and development. It is important to resist being so preoccupied with a child’s future that we cannot see and value the child for who they are today.
The curriculum goals that guide our planning are open ended and individual, just as a child’s growth is open ended and individual. There are no set timelines for when a child will gain certain skills and knowledge. The curriculum goals help us follow your child’s growth and development to enable us to effectively plan both individually for each child and for the group as a whole. The goals reflect our staff’s understanding of how children gain knowledge and skills, build on their knowledge and skills and finally, generalize their knowledge and skills in their daily lives. That’s what learning is all about!
Cognitive Development
Fostering your child’s cognitive growth includes encouraging him/her to solve problems, ask questions, think logically, sort, classify, compare and contrast, count, understand and make patterns, use materials and equipment, use their imaginations and creativity.
Able to manipulate, investigate, act upon, re-arrange and/or change a variety of age appropriate materials
Shows persistence in approaching a task
Uses thinking skills to resolve conflicts
Demonstrates problem solving
Able to see similarities /differences
Shows awareness of spatial relationships
Able to complete age appropriate puzzles
Uses numbers and counting
Awareness of classification; serration; quantification, patterning
Language/Literacy Development
Fostering your child’s language/literacy development includes encouraging him/her to use words to communicate with others, listen and participate in conversations, enjoy books, understand the purpose of print, recognize letters and words, and begin writing with a purpose.
Participates in conversations
Able to communicate feelings, needs, and thoughts
Understands and follows directions
Able to ask questions; able to answer
Questions:
Listens to and comprehends books/enjoys and values reading
Hears and discriminates the sounds of language
Uses expanded vocabulary in relation to body parts, colors, textures
Sees a relationship between the written and spoken word
Demonstrates knowledge of alphabet
Recognizes name
Writes name
Writes letters and words
Uses emerging reading skills to make meaning from print
Social / Emotional Development
Fostering your child’s Social / Emotional growth includes encouraging him/her to gain independence, self-confidence, and self control. This area of growth focuses on helping your child gain an understanding of what it means to be part of a learning community, how to make friends, join into play, initiate play, cooperatively play with others, resolve conflicts and problem solve.
Able to separate from family comfortably
Able to adjust to new situations
Demonstrates appropriate trust in teachers
Able to stand up for self
Able to make friends
Participates in parallel play
Seeks out other children for play
Show cooperation in play and shared activities
Able to join into group play
Actively participates in cooperative play
Demonstrates skills necessary to be a productive member of a learning community
Accepts responsibility for the care of materials and equipment
Competent in self-help skills
Able to incorporate change/shows flexibility
Spiritual Development
Fostering your child’s Spiritual growth includes encouraging caring relationships with others, modeling compassion, empathy and gratitude, and sharing a respect for God’s blessings.
Shows respect of God’s creation
Demonstrates caring for self/self-respect
Demonstrates caring for others
Is beginning to express gratitude
Shows empathy to other children
Creative Expression
Fostering your child’s creative expression includes encouraging him/her to explore freely various mediums to create, build or mold, provide materials and
equipment to pretend with, play make believe, explore music and instruments and express self with words, drawings, movements.
Explores various mediums available for creating, building, molding
Freely uses materials to express ideas, represent ideas and build on ideas/concepts
Able to make believe with objects
Shows intent when creating with various media, materials and/or equipment
Participates in expressing self through music and movement
Explores words to express ideas, sentiments, stories
Able to explore creative solutions in problem solving
“To survive and thrive in a changing world, people need to think creatively. Social problem solving is a necessary life skill. Representation of experience in symbolic ways, including language and literacy is a necessary life skill. Play is the most basic way children develop these skills.” - Betty Jones
The Value of Learning through Play
Years of research on young children’s learning and development document the benefits of play for children’s social/emotional, spiritual, physical, cognitive, language and creative development. Children at play are actively involved in creating themes, exploring and establishing environments, solving problems, exploring relationships, and developing shared understandings. Children play in many ways. They play independently, next to one another or parallel play, and cooperatively. All play is valuable.
As your child plays, he/she learns to see one another’s points of view and begin to become empathetic and caring. They come to understand customs and rules in their own culture, and to appreciate those of others. They learn to use language in new ways to describe their play and to interact with others. They explore and develop their muscles and coordination.
Play is fun and serious business! Adults/Teachers best support children’s play by providing space, opportunity, and materials.
Our preschool is often said to be “play based”. This means that we believe play is a key vehicle to support your child’s growth and development in all domains.
Each day, our experiences/activities are planned in a purposeful manner. The staff sets up an environment where your child will be actively involved in play where they are learning and practicing the skills, and knowledge appropriate for their age in a meaningful way.
“Assessment is the process of gathering information about children from several forms of evidence, then organizing and interpreting that information.” - McAfee, Leong, Bodrova
Following Your Child’s Growth and Development
Each Teaching Team works collaboratively to observe, reflect on and document your child’s growth and development. The tools we use include a developmental checklist, work samples, children’s notebooks and observational notes. Each Parent/Teacher Conference you will receive a summary of your child’s growth and development along with have the opportunity to see your child’s work samples in their notebooks. The Developmental Checklist used is based on the Curriculum Goals referred to in the previous section.
Our goals in documenting your child’s growth and development include; allowing us to better understand your child’s development and plan accordingly, share specifics with you regarding your child’s growth and development, and identify/support any developmental concerns if they arise.
“For play to result in purposeful and productive learning, the classroom environment and daily program must be structured to achieve this goal.” - Diane Trister Dodge, Toni S. Bikart
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Physical Development
Fostering your child’s physical development includes encouraging him/her to use, test and develop their large muscle skills of running, jumping, skipping, climbing, balancing, and to use, test and develop their small muscle skills of stringing beads, buttoning, zipping, cutting, drawing, and writing.
Demonstrates basic abilities to run, jump, gallop, hop
Able to negotiate stairs confidently
Climbs confidently up and down play equipment
Able to balance on balance beam
Rides a tricycle
Can throw, kick, and catch
Can manipulate small items w/ pincer grasp
Demonstrates eye-hand coordination
Cuts with scissors
Holds a writing tool
Crosses the mid line
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