St. Edward Preschool Curriculum
Our program is designed to utilize positive current findings in early education, which emphasizes exploration, experimentation and discovery through play and creative experiences with emphasis on perceptual motor, language arts, and listening skills. As an active learner the child will develop competencies in areas of spiritual, social, emotional, cognitive and motor development.
St. Edward Preschool strives to support parents in their role as the primary educators of their children. Teachers and parents together embrace a child’s daily growth and education.
Christian Faith:
Religious education and faith development are central to our preschool’s mission. We particularly emphasize weaving Catholic faith doctrine and Christian values into each day’s activities. We follow the Catholic Diocese Religion Graded Course of Study P-12.
State Standards:
The Ohio Department of Education’s Early Learning Academic Content Standards will guide us in the understanding of what these young learners should know and be able to do in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies before entering kindergarten. These standards can be viewed at www.ohioacademicstandards.com.
Teaching To The Moment:
The program will meet the developmental needs of the whole child through creative play with emphasis on perceptual motor, language arts, and listening skills. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is respected throughout the curriculum. Value is given to communication and openness to information. We believe that “All children have preparedness, potential curiosity, and interest in engaging in social interaction, establishing relationships, constructing their learning, and negotiating with everything the environment brings to them. Teachers are deeply aware of children's potentials and construct all their work and the environment of the children's experience to respond appropriately.” (The First Steps Toward Teaching The Reggio Way by Joanne Hendrick, pg. 16-17).
Resources:
Catholic Diocese Religion Graded Course of Study P-12 (2006), Creative Curriculum for Preschoolers (www.teachingstrategies.com) materials regarding Reggio Emilia, Conscious Discipline and DLM Early Express by McGraw Hill.
Classroom Activities:
We strive to provide a balance of structure and freedom; quiet and active play through teacher/child directed activities.
Children begin and end their preschool morning by joining the teacher on the floor and sitting in a circle (circle time). Music, art, science, math, snack, story-time and physical fitness are incorporated into the daily lessons. During ‘free play’ children will select from among the following learning centers:
- library/language arts corner
- career/writing center
- science area
- math/small motor skill area
- construction/large building block area
- home/family area
- art center
Sample Schedule for Younger Children (2½ hour):
| 8:55: | Arrival |
| 9:00: | Circle Time with Opening Activities, Music & Prayer |
| 9:30: | Free Play with Art, Religious activity |
| 10:00: | Free Play (Outdoor/Large Muscle Play) |
| 10:40: | Snack Time |
| 11:00: | Story Time / Journal or Religion Time |
| 11:25: | Circle time |
| 11:30: | Departure |
Sample Schedule for Older Children (3 hour):
| 12:10: | Arrival |
| 12:15: | Circle Time with Music and Prayer |
| 12:35: | Choice Time: Will involve art, language arts, math and science activities that revolve around the content standards established by the Ohio Department of Education. |
| 1:45: | Clean Up Time in the classroom |
| 1:50: | Group Story Time |
| 2:10: | Snack Time |
| 2:30: | Outdoor/Large Muscle Play |
| 3:00: | Journaling/Religion/Clifford Lesson |
| 3:15: | Departure |
Schedules may be flexed to best meet the children's needs and time requirements for a variation in activities.
We try to go outside every day with weather permitting (35-85 degrees taken into account; wind chill, heat index, etc.) We have a fenced in play area with a variety of equipment that encourages large muscle development. We also utilize the large outdoor grounds that surround the parish for running up and down hills, jumping, hiding behind trees/shrubs, exploring and observing nature. The Parish Hall is our "large muscle" room and is used primarily when we cannot go outside to play. Teachers plan a variety of activities, which may include movement, games set to music, and use of such equipment as balance beams, beanbags, hoops, tunnels, or parachutes.