Learning Star Preschool Curriculum: Nurturing Growth and Development
Learning Star Preschool aims to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where children can thrive. Built on strong relationships between the school and families, the preschool focuses on creating a positive and calm classroom atmosphere. The curriculum serves as a roadmap for teachers, ensuring quality learning experiences across various developmental domains.
A Family-Oriented Approach
Learning Star Preschool prioritizes building a strong sense of community. As one parent noted, it's "a wonderful family who loves and cherishes and teaches your kids!" This emphasis on relationships creates a welcoming and warm environment for both children and their families. Parents appreciate the school's commitment to serving the whole family and the positive impact it has on their children's development.
The Importance of Curriculum
A well-defined curriculum is essential for providing high-quality early childhood education. It gives teachers a clear plan for delivering age-appropriate activities and lessons that cover a wide range of learning areas. These areas include social-emotional development, literacy, math, and science. Without a curriculum, it can be challenging for teachers to identify activities and lessons that are developmentally appropriate for the age of the children and that cover a wide range of learning areas.
Curriculum Implementation and Support
Selecting a curriculum is only the first step. Programs must also invest in training and support to ensure that teachers can implement the curriculum effectively. This may involve practicing lesson cycles, managing behavior, and learning new teaching strategies. Assessment data can also inform how the curriculum is used and adapted to meet the needs of individual children.
Available Resources
Texas Rising Star offers resources related to curriculum, including online training through the Children’s Learning Institute. These resources guide caregivers in understanding early childhood development and making the most of each day during the early years of growth. Additional resources include lesson plan templates and curriculum planning supports. The Circle Pre-K Curriculum supports the cognitive, social, and emotional development of pre-K children. Professional development resources such as video tutorials, lesson plan templates, and the teacher’s manual act as curriculum planning supports for weekly planning and instruction. The Circle Activity Collection: Infant and Toddler translates research into practice through a variety of hands-on, play-based learning activities that teachers can implement in their classrooms in whole groups, small groups, and with individual children. The Circle Activity Collection: Pre-K to Grade 2 translates research into practice through a variety of hands-on activities that school-age teachers can implement in their classrooms. The Early Learning Matters (ELM) Curriculum is an extensive, research-informed program created to support the optimal learning and development of children from birth to five years of age.
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Learning Star Preschool's Curriculum in Action
Michelle Lally, the owner and director of Learning Star Preschool, is passionate about creating engaging classrooms. Her staff works as a team to create a positive and calm classroom atmosphere. The curriculum provides classroom staff with a clear plan for delivering quality learning experiences to children of any age group. A parent testimonial reflects the success of this approach: "Michelle and her staff provide an impeccable learning environment for my 3 year old. They are welcoming, informative, and the curriculum is outstanding."
Weekly Lesson Plans
Learning Star Preschool utilizes weekly lesson plan templates to document structured learning activities and additional instruction notes. These templates align with early learning guidelines, and teaching staff receive feedback on lesson planning as a type of curriculum support on a regular basis. Using a template similar to this shows there are planned activities with learning objectives aligned with early learning guidelines, and there is evidence teaching staff receive feedback on lesson planning as a type of curriculum support on a regular basis. These plans ensure that learning objectives are met and that children are progressing in their development.
Aligning with Standards
The curriculum aligns with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state standards for what students should know and be able to do. It also considers the Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines (ITELG), which describe expectations for children's development across various domains. The Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPG) have been developed to provide guidance for planning quality learning experiences for all children three to five years of age. Aligning intentional instructional practices and opportunities for play, exploration, discovery, and problem-solving with the learning outcomes will promote successful learning for all children. By aligning with these standards, Learning Star Preschool ensures that children are well-prepared for future academic success.
Preschool Program (3-5 Years Old)
Learning Star Preschool recognizes that preschoolers are at a crucial stage of development, ready to absorb information and master new skills. The preschool program is designed to meet the unique needs of this age group, with classes broken up according to chronological age and developmental stage.
Key Elements of the Preschool Curriculum
- L.E.A.P.® workbooks and integration of technology: L.E.A.P.® workbooks and integration of technology such as L.E.A.P.
- Exposure to foreign languages and cultures: Exposure to foreign languages and cultures through our L.E.A.P. into Spanish® or L.E.A.P.
- Technology and L.E.A.P. Interactive®: Technology and L.E.A.P. Interactive® early childhood education programs introduce our children to our proprietary L.E.A.P. Interactive board, as well as L.E.A.P. Interactive workbooks, giving them hands-on learning through cutting edge technology. iPads are available in our Preschool classrooms as appropriate for milestone development.
- Fun With Phonics®: The Fun with Phonics program builds on the phonemic awareness of the early stages and immerses the Preschoolers in even greater activities. Our phonics program teaches Preschoolers the connection between letters and sounds through poems, rhymes and songs.
- Monthly Calendar Integration: At the beginning of every month, the monthly sign is printed on the calendar and sent home with families to extend the lesson and to continue practicing at home.
- Philanthropy Curriculum: To build on those early manners, Preschoolers are introduced to our philanthropy curriculum and learn the importance of donating to causes, helping raise funds for charity, behaving in public spaces and showing kindness and compassion to their peers, and the meaning of gratitude.
- Physical Fitness Programs: The Learning Experience® makes physical fitness an important part of education, teaching our children healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
- Outdoor Exploration: (Minimum every 2 hours and as and when needed.)
Technology Integration
Learning Star Preschool recognizes the importance of technology in the modern world. The Technology and L.E.A.P. Interactive® early childhood education programs introduce children to our proprietary L.E.A.P. Interactive board, as well as L.E.A.P. Interactive workbooks, giving them hands-on learning through cutting edge technology. L.E.A.P. Interactive® offers a variety of additional applications to engage the children. They include a variety of STEM options featuring a clock for telling time, number games that can be used to practice counting, number recognition, math problems and more, there is even a habitat app that allows children to explore where different animals live.
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Language and Culture
Exposure to foreign languages and cultures is another key component of the preschool curriculum. Our proprietary foreign language characters help establish a connection between the language and its country’s culture. Tito Toro, our Spanish bull mascot, teaches basic Spanish words and how to explore Spain and its culture-like food, music, traditions and vocabulary.
Social-Emotional Development
Learning Star Preschool also focuses on social-emotional development. To build on those early manners, Preschoolers are introduced to our philanthropy curriculum and learn the importance of donating to causes, helping raise funds for charity, behaving in public spaces and showing kindness and compassion to their peers, and the meaning of gratitude.
Physical Fitness
Physical Fitness ProgramsThe Learning Experience® makes physical fitness an important part of education, teaching our children healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
Enrichment Programs
Learning Star Preschool offers enrichment programs that extend the curriculum, providing in-depth, hands-on learning experiences. These programs enable children to develop mastery in a fun and engaging manner.
Little Musicians
Our Little Musicians Enrichment Program provides age-appropriate kits for our little learners to use to explore instruments, beats, and songs. They will use their creative expression, interact with their peers, and ultimately build confidence as they learn emotional regulation and strengthen their cognitive language abilities. Parents will have the opportunity to join in a family showcase at the end of the program to support home learning.
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Little Engineers
Our Little Engineers enrichment program provides age-appropriate kits for our little learners to use to participate in problem-solving activities that encourage creativity, perseverance, and real-life application skills. Children will work through challenges and tasks individually, in pairs, or as a team, leading to the strengthening of relationships and social-emotional regulation.
Little Goal Getters
Our Little Goal Getters Enrichment Program provides age-appropriate kits for our little learners to use to engage in the foundational concepts of sports. Children will increase their gross and fine motor skills by learning to throw, catch, kick, balance, and much more.
Preschool Kit
The Preschool enrichment kit is specifically designed to meet age-appropriate developmental milestones, supporting the development of their gross and fine motor skills of each child. This enables children to engage in learning to throw, catch, kick, balance, and much more.
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