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 THE PROGRAM
The Agnes Irwin School PreKindergarten is a full day program that enables preschoolers to enjoy developmentally appropriate activities while mastering knowledge and skills needed for success in kindergarten. Housed in classrooms designed especially for them, PreKindergarten students occupy rooms that have a separate entrance, large low windows, and outdoor grassy areas for water and sand play. The rooms, furniture, and equipment encourage the girls to engage in imaginative play, alone and with others, art, music, drama, and movement offer opportunities to express ideas through various creative mediums. Decisions about curriculum, routines, and schedules reflect an understanding of how young children learn and grow. Integrated themes are selected to introduce ideas and permit exploration of the children’s own interests.
The PreKindergarten playground provides an enclosed space for active play including riding bikes, climbing, running, gardening, digging in the sand, swinging, and playing games. The area also serves as an outdoor classroom where groups of children are able to explore and learn about the natural world, grow plants, make observations, conduct science investigations, and eat together.
TEACHER APPROACH
A key aspect of successful learning during the early years is the pacing of experiences so they are consistent with the children’s individual rates of development. The small size of each of the classes, combined with the presence of two consistent teachers, enables close observation of the children’s skills, questions, and readiness for the introduction of new concepts.
The PreKindergarten staff members serve as facilitators of learning. After setting the stage for the day, adults permit the girls to make their own discoveries and act on their own ideas. Teachers work with individual students, make observations, offer support as needed, and redirect behavior when necessary. Regular consultation with parents keeps mothers and fathers aware of growth that is occurring.
SCHEDULE
Throughout the day emphasis is placed on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. The schedule includes long blocks of uninterrupted time for play, individually and with others. Daily directed learning experiences offer practice in focusing attention, following directions, sequencing, and completing tasks independently and as part of a group of children. Circle time activities, snack and lunch, and outdoor play encourage the development of relationships with teachers and peers.
Daily routines and activities support the development of relationships with teachers and classmates. Self-esteem grows through the process of encountering and mastering new skills. Girls come to regard themselves as capable as they succeed with hands-on experiences. At the same time, self-control is learned by making choices and discovering ways to govern their own behavior and to get along peacefully with the other members of the class.
CURRICULUM GUIDELINES
Emerging literacy stands at the center of the PreKindergarten program. Young girls are guided to see the connections between speaking, reading, and writing. Daily activities with language, books, poetry, rhymes and listening skills help foster a love of stories and reading. The writing center and journals offer opportunities to use drawing and print to represent ideas. Alphabet-related activities foster familiarity with letters and sounds. The girls begin to identify simple words in the print rich environment.
Mathematical concepts and skills are introduced by using counting and numbers in both play and real life situations. Patterns, designs, graphing, and problem solving activities with concrete objects build knowledge of mathematical concepts and language. Girls begin to recognize and write numbers, to count, and to recognize shapes. Girls encounter ways that numbers are used in the real world to represent quantities, time, dates, age, measurement, and money.
Science and social studies concepts are included in each of the curriculum themes. The science program emphasizes observation and recording of the natural world around the girls. Weekly activities are planned to encourage exploration of the outdoors, observation of plants, trees, birds and animals, documentation of changes in weather, and discoveries about the properties of water, sand, and soil. The children have opportunities to learn about themselves, their families, the AIS community, and the neighborhood around the School. Library, physical education, and music experiences are part of the daily schedule. The girls visit a farm, garden, and nature center and meet various community helpers in the classroom setting.
INVOLVEMENT IN THE LOWER SCHOOL
AIS PreKindergartners also participate in the community life of the Lower School. They attend assemblies, play with other students, and enjoy school-wide celebrations. Members of the administration staff greet the girls each morning as they arrive for school. Fourth grade students visit the classroom to read stories, present dramatizations, and interact with the youngest members of the Agnes Irwin School family. The classes join other Lower School students for a variety of Community Service activities.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Parents are encouraged to participate in a variety of ways in the PreKindergarten program. Mothers and fathers volunteer to read, share skills, lead special events, and become involved in the daily routines. Some parents enjoy joining the class for snack or lunch while others choose to visit at the beginning or end of the day. Regular parent forums with the lead teachers provide an avenue for discussing age characteristics and concerns. |