“Characters Day Care’s” Program

Our programs are centered around the belief that children learn about the world in different ways. Because of this, when children have positive experiences early in preschool, they develop positive attitudes toward future schooling.

Teachers provide a balanced schedule with teacher-directed and child-directed activities. They try to stimulate a child’s curiosity and ability to learn about themselves and the world around them. This approach leads to the goals of our program:

• Allow children to learn at their own pace and level of development.
• Provide choices and time for experimenting and discovery.
• Encourage children to develop the skill of “learning how to learn” and to feel confident in their own abilities.
  

The Components of “Characters” Curriculum

Language Arts

Our program is rich with activities and experiences that encourage listening, speaking, writing and reading readiness. Opportunities are provided to increase vocabulary, develop concepts, use appropriate sentence structure through group discussions, story-telling, reading books and more.

Science

In discovery learning, children are encouraged to use their senses to explore, ask questions, experience cause and effect and solve problems. Our science activities get children actively involved with plants, wind, friction, sound, changes of state, light, water, simple tools, animals and other areas of physical sciences.

Math

Children are taught the beginning math skills needed for future abstract operations and are encouraged in areas like classification, patterning, one-to-one correspondence, ordering and sequencing, numeration, measurement, simple addition, subtraction and fractions.

Art

The goal of art in early childhood is to explore artistic media and self-expression. Collage, design, three-dimensional objects, painting, printing, mural and drawing are subjects explored.

Music

“Characters” curriculum offers daily opportunities for fun music activities including singing, playing rhythm instruments, moving and listening to records all through a large repertoire of children’s songs.

Dramatic Play

Dramatic play encourages children to assume roles, clarify life situations and express feelings in a safe and acceptable environment. In addition, children are taught to reconcile between fantasy and reality.

Social Studies

Social studies begins with the child’s developing self-concept, moves on to support the understanding of family, community and peer groups and then exposes children to other cultures. The classroom is a “mini-society” where children help with tasks, learn to follow rules, respect the property and rights of others and learn social customs.

Fine & Gross Motor Skills

Fine motor activities stimulate the development of the small muscles in the hand that manipulate materials all of which eventually lead to mastering the skill of writing. Puzzles, string beads, interlocking toys, play-dough, art activities and sand play enhance dexterity.

Gross motor activities develop the body’s large muscles and enable children to master body movement, self-esteem and physical fitness. Children use balls, tricycles, dancing, tunnels and wide-open space for movement and games.