Pre-Kindergarten 3
Pre-Kindergarten 3
We believe young children learn best through active involvement in meaningful experiences. In the Pre-K3 program, we use Creative Curriculum, which allows us to take what the children are interested in and incorporate meaningful experiences in the classroom by giving them the tools to help them become successful learners.
Program Highlights: We provide a variety of playful and educational events throughout the year for our younger children enrolled in our pre-kindergarten programs, including:
• Field Day
• 100th Day of School Celebration
• Dr. Seuss Read Across America Week
• National Week of the Young Child
• Annual End-of-the-Year Water Party
• Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Fun Run
• Philanthropy Focus: We partner with the Center for Philanthropic Studies, which allows children to utilize their time, talents, and treasures to connect and apply classroom knowledge to hands-on community outreach programs, such as the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
• Thanksgiving Program: One of our most treasured events in the preschool is our annual Thanksgiving Feast. Our students dress up and perform a brief program of song and dance for our guests.
Academic Highlights
Curriculum used: Creative Curriculum, Leaning Without Tears
Literacy:
• Writing first name
• Identifying letters and sounds
• Showing awareness that some words begin alike
• Generating rhyming words spontaneously
• Identifying missing rhyming words
• Hearing and showing awareness of separate words in sentences
Math:
• Counting to 10 or beyond
• Identifying numbers 1-10 with a model
• Corresponding one-to-one when counting objects
• Obtaining a knowledge of patterns
• Measuring
• Understanding positional words
Why Choose our Pre-K3 program?
• Using emergent reading skills
• Identifying author and illustrator
• Showing understanding that text is meaningful and can be read
• Asking and answering questions about a text
• Retelling familiar stories
• Writing to convey meaning
• Identifying basic shapes
• Comparing and ordering a small set of objects according to size, length, or weight
• Beginning to sort objects by two or more groups
• Beginning to compare size by using words (big, small, etc.)
Our students are given experiences and tools to become successful learners, both socially and academically. They learn how to be a friend, enter a group of play, share, establish and sustain positive relationships, use language to express wants and needs, adapt in a group setting, problem solve, think critically, understand simple acts of cause and effect, and gain a sense of self-confidence that will serve them throughout all of their schooling. They are also given many opportunities to further gross motor and fine motor development, which is necessary for writing.
Intentional class sizes provide opportunities to respond and adapt to the individual needs of each student while giving teachers the ability to support those who may need extra time to grow. Young children grow and develop at different times, and our goal is for each child to make strides socially and emotionally and develop more independence and academic stamina in the classroom setting.
Pre-K3 Program Schedule
7:45 a.m. Arrival: Students unpack belongings, wash hands, sign in, and explore table activities.
7:50 a.m. Devotion: During this special time, students will have the opportunity to share prayer requests and praises. We then read together and discuss a Bible story and verse before closing with prayer time. On Wednesdays, we attend a lower school chapel program led by various FRA staff members and individual classrooms.
8 a.m. Morning Meeting: Each day, classes gather for Morning Meeting, which includes greeting each other with a good morning song, expressing how they feel and why they feel how they do. Classroom jobs and the schedule for the day are discussed, and teachers explain activities during the day’s centers.
8:10 a.m. Centers/Literacy: The children explore different centers, where they learn how to interact with their peers, how to communicate with one another, problem solve, think critically, share, take turns, and much more. Teachers work with children one-on-one (or in a small group) on learning literacy concepts.
9 a.m. Enrichments: Students attend one of six enrichment classes for 30 minutes each day: STEM Lab • Guidance • Performing Arts • Visual Arts • Spanish • Media Center
9:30 a.m. Snack: The school provides children with a nutritious snack in the classroom. We recite a blessing together before eating each snack or meal daily.
10 a.m. All-By-Myself Time: Students are able to choose a book or puzzle to take to a resting spot. This is a time when the teacher can work with each student individually on his/her chosen activity.
10:10 a.m. Circle Time: During this large-group class time, students determine the date by counting; sing a song about the days of the week; discuss the current month, year, and season; participate in group work; and work on the weather graph, which our weather helper charts for the class.
10:15 a.m. Centers/Math: The children explore different centers, where they learn how to interact with their peers, how to communicate with one another, problem solve, think critically, share, take turns, and much more. Teachers work with children one-on-one (or in a small group) on learning math concepts.
11 a.m. Recess: Students enjoy a common recess time on the playground.
12 p.m. Lunch: Students bring a lunch from home and eat in the classroom. Children are asked to clean their table spot after eating as this supports independence, responsibility, and classroom community.
1 p.m. Rest Time: Because our Pre-K3 program is licensed by the state, a minimum one-hour rest time is required.
2:20 p.m. Pack Up/Closing Blessing: Students share who they would like to bless and sing our blessing song to close the day.
2:35 p.m. Departure: Children are walked to their cars during car line at the end of the day. Students enrolled in After School Extended Care or Afternoon Enrichment Classes are walked to their designated pickup areas