Newport Coast Child Development Preschool focuses on the whole child…socially, cognitively, emotionally and physically. Each child is born with potential. We know that the preschool years are the most critical time in a child’s development. During this time children, based on their environment and experiences, will learn trust, self-expression and self-worth. We, therefore, as an extension of the family, provide them with a warm, caring, safe and secure environment in which to explore and discover those things around them and within themselves. In this environment, we offer opportunities for children to make choices that will enhance their naturally emerging skills. We encourage independent thinking, curiosity, exploration and discovery through developmentally appropriate curriculum, materials, and methods. It is through movement and discovery, rather than a mobile state, that children grasp and learn about the world around them.
Our program is unique because we expose children to the academic world in a nurturing, safe and secure environment that is catered to each individual child. In our classrooms the children get a balance of structured Learning Centers and time to learn through their own self-initiated discovery. Children are surrounded by things around them from which to learn. Our belief is that children don’t need to be forced to learn. They want to learn and they will. We provide interesting opportunities for discovering new concepts and gaining skills, and the children enhance them with their imagination, innocence, and eagerness to learn.
As the class gathers at the beginning each session, children will have an opprtunity to free play with the various toys in the classroom. When eveyone has arrived, they will sit down as a whole group and discuss such topics as the calendar, weather, attendance, letters, numbers, colors, and shapes, as well as the day's activites and theme. Then students will move to Learning Centers, which is the bulk of the academic day. Each Learning Center has 4 to 5 children at it; teachers will sit with the children and help facilitate where necessary, while other activities are child-directed (see below for a listing and description of the different Learning Centers). Following Learning Centers, students wash up and eat snack in the classroom, then go outdoors to play for up to an hour on our impressively large and shaded playground. Playground resources are always changing and include bikes/trikes, sand toys, balls, games, art, three playhouses, and two sensory tables. After outside play, the school day is over for half-day classes; extended classes stay for lunch and enrichment time which can include games, music, art, more Centers or free play. Transitions between activities and play times are usually stories or music & movement.
All classes have a weekly Music lesson in their classroom with our fun music teacher. Four- and five-year-old classes also have a formal Art lesson in our state-of-the-art Art Pavilion, and younger students can participate in extra art activities during their outside play time.
The way a child learns in the very early years of their life will greatly affect the outcome of their education. Excitement and enthusiasm for learning depend on getting the right start. Because we are concerned with each individual child’s future success, Newport Coast Preschool provides an environment that stimulates creativity, critical thinking and social skills. The materials and activities at the Centers are presented in a fun, non threatening manner. They usually coincide with the week's theme to reinforce concepts in a variety of ways-- which is essential for children’s understanding and interpretation of the world around them
Learning Centers always include at least four of the following:
Cognitive Center
Through fun games, puzzles, songs and manipulatives children are stimulated to think, observe, reason, investigate, experiment, question and be creative.
Math Center
At this center children have exposure to numbers (recognizing, counting, and writing), sorting, classifying, sequencing, estimation and seriation. They play games such as Color & Shape Bingo, use 'counters' as visual aids in adding/subtracting, and do beginning worksheets-- just like big kids!
Language Center
Activities at this center include identifying letters of the alphabet, beginning letter sounds, rhyming words, phonics, discussions on new vocabulary words and terms, and recall of a story line. Students are encouraged to expand their vocabularies and build on current language skills.
Fine Motor/ Writing Center
Children gain familiarity and practice in using paper, pencils, pens, scissors, stencils, staplers, tape, stamps, mini chalk boards and dry erase boards. A proper pincer grasp is learned while writing and coloring at this center as well as controlled writing movements. Students will also use materials such as play dough, pegs, and legos to to build strength and accuracy in their wrists, hands and fingers. With exposure to these different “tools” children increase their fine motor development.
Sensory Center
Water, mud, shaving cream, cornstarch, rice, flour, clay, playdough, flubber and goop (just to name a few) provide children with rewarding experiences in exercising muscles that control their fingers, hands and arms. Sensory activities give children the opportunity to talk about “how it feels, smells,” etc. Often times when children manipulate sensory materials, they also inadvertently release emotional tensions.
Art Center
Children are given the opportunity to design and create through various media. Paint, glue, water color, chalk, markers, crayons, colored pencils, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, feathers, sequins, and colored sand are only the beginning of the creative resources children love to use.