• Prekindergarten Guidelines
  • Handwriting
  • Letter Cards

PHILOSOPHY AND CURRICULUM

  • Research confirms the value of early education for young children. Our program supports effective teaching practices and opportunities for child discovery through play have been shown to lead to significant growth in children’s intellectual and social development, both of which are critical to their future academic success. Our prekindergarten program follows the State Guidelines which provide a challenging but achievable curriculum which actively engages children in thinking, reasoning, and communicating with others. With teacher direction and guidance, children respond to the challenge and acquire important skills and concepts. 

    The Prekindergarten State Guidelines are based on current knowledge of theory and scientific research about how children develop and learn.  Also, they reflect the growing consensus among early childhood professional organizations that a greater emphasis be placed on young children’s conceptual learning, acquisition of basic skills, and participation in meaningful, relevant learning experiences.

    This early experience of a high-quality preschool should help children avoid the downward spiral of academic failure and inevitable dropout and produce greater gains in education, employment and social responsibility.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

  • Leading educators say a child's early years are a period of rapid growth, during which key concepts related to future academic success are developed.

    Long-range studies clearly document the value of early training for young children. These studies show that young adults who attended a high-quality preschool program demonstrated greater gains in education, employment, and social responsibility than similar young adults who did not attend preschool.

    Pre-kindergarten education in Texas is state-mandated and funded for students whose home environment or limited English might impede their success in school and in life. Through pre-kindergarten experiences, many of these children may avoid the downward spiral of academic failure and inevitable dropout.

    The pre-kindergarten program described in the publication stresses intensive language development. It focuses on developmentally appropriate learning activities that prepare children for the language requirements of kindergarten. (Priority '86 Texas Education Agency)

PROGRAM GOALS

  • Children develop skills and competencies through a sequence of milestones.  However, they do not develop in exactly the same way or at exactly the same time.  We focus on each child as a unique individual with his/her own strengths and areas of need.  Our prekindergarten goals include the following:

The student will develop:

    • Self-confidence and a positive attitude toward school through successful learning experiences.
    • Increasing competence and skills to help him/her become more proficient in the English language.
    • Emergent reading, writing, language and communication skills in preparation for kindergarten.
    • Mathematical thinking and reasoning about such topics as number and operations, patterns, geometry, measurement, and problem solving.
    • An understanding of the many diverse cultures and world around them.
    • The ability to observe, explore, discover and solve problems through concrete learning experiences.
    • An appreciation of the fine arts through many opportunities in creative drama, art and music.
    • Fine and gross motor skills through appropriate physical activities.

COORDINATOR FOR PREKINDERGARTEN

  • Christina Getschmann   281-897-4148