Early Learning Center

Classrooms are designed with a developmental understanding of young children in mind. Guidelines set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) are understood and practiced. The environment is arranged in learning centers, which provides an array of choices to meet the needs of eager three to five year olds. Each center addresses a particular learning area such as: writing, drama, art, math building, books, science and manipulatives. Ample time is scheduled for students to explore and construct their knowledge in centers. A center-based classroom individualizes learning and allows students to accelerate according to their interests and stage of development. It also enables the teacher to observe each student’s strengths and to prompt each one in new directions. 

Teacher-designed group activities are the counterpart of learning centers. Teachers plan lessons to develop skills and enrich understanding in: math, phonics, handwriting, literacy, and religion. Pre-School classes focus on phonemic awareness and the ability to quantify numbers from 1-20. Senior Kindergarten classes stress reading skills at the emergent levels and on using operations with number 1-100. Science experiments, puppetry, bookmaking, learning games, and art projects are just some of the enrichment activities planned for students. 

Art, music, and physical education (PE) are taught by specialists in these fields twice in a six-day cycle. These teachers provide select skill experiences as well as give students the opportunity to interact with several teachers during the day. 

We strongly encourage strong connections between home and the Academy to provide maximum learning and development of our students. As this often is their first school-setting experience, it is of utmost importance that the transition between home and school be a comfortable and pleasant experience for your daughter. Our teachers respond to this transition with understanding, patience and positive guidance.