From learning to separate from parents to playing collaboratively with peers, there is a range of social-emotional goals that our EP-PK students achieve. Self-help skills are an important part of early childhood. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their belongings and their needs—in EP, this may look like using the potty independently and throwing away their own trash while PS and PK students are beginning to open their own snack and lunch items as well as setting out and rolling up their own bedding.  

All EP, PS, and PK students are developing relationships with their teachers and peers. In these relationships, they learn to respect themselves, their environment and each other. Respecting themselves is making sure that they express their feelings and needs and continue to gain self-control and confidence. Respecting their environment is being aware of the rules of the classroom and yard and helping take care of these spaces by using materials in appropriate ways and helping to clean up. Respecting each other is making sure that they are communicating with peers and teachers in a positive way and learning problem solving skills. As they grow through the ECC, students build on Kindergarten readiness skills--self-regulation, increased attention span, and peer relationships. Our PS and PK students participate in the Second Step Social-Emotional Learning program where class lessons and discussions happen surrounding emotions and communication.  

While preschool doesn’t have blocked out subjects like math, science and language arts, we are consistently providing materials and activities for students to build a foundation in these areas. Providing manipulative materials of different shapes, colors, sizes and other attributes allows them to notice small differences, sort, count, and create patterns which builds a strong math foundation. Pre-reading skills include listening to stories, looking at books, seeing print in their environment, letter recognition, rhyming words, and noticing simple sight words. In the ECC, we watch the children grow from knowing their name to recognizing letters in their name, to writing their name in upper case and then using both upper and lower case letters. Students are also given the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of building and sensory materials to gain problem solving skills through trial and error.  

We look at Physical development in a couple ways, fine and gross motor. Fine motor being how they are using their small muscles, like their hands and gross being how they use their large muscles to move their bodies.  

Through manipulating small objects, building structures, playing with playdough, stringing, lacing, using a variety of art tools, and squeezing tools like tweezers, droppers, and tongs, they are strengthening their fine motor skills. Providing these activities allows our ECC children to strengthen the essential muscles in their hands that will help them hold their writing utensils in the appropriate way as well as hold and manipulate scissors. In EP, we help children gain enough control to draw a horizontal and vertical lines as well as circles. Our PS children are beginning to form upper case letters using lines and curves as well as begin to create self-portraits. Our PK children begin to form lower case letters, color with more control, and create detailed pictures. 

We watch for our EP-PK students to have age appropriate coordination and balance while climbing on equipment, running, bike riding, etc. Students are given ample outdoor equipment to practice hand/eye coordination with catching, bouncing and playing catch with a friend. As children proceed through the program, we watch them transition from hopping on 2 feet and scooting along on a tricycle to hopping on 1 foot and pedaling on their own.   

Early Childhood brings about an explosion of language! As Early Preschoolers, we hope that they can be understood most of the time, are speaking in 3 word sentences,  and can have simple conversations. By PK, our hope is that they are able to verbalize all their needs, express their ideas, participate in conversations relevant to the topic being discussed, and speak clearly and articulately. Through consistent modeling and guiding, teachers support the children along this journey to know that their thoughts are important and valid. Teachers also provide words for the children in situations where they cannot find their own words.