Our Preschool Program uses the Maryland State Department of Education-approved comprehensive curricula: The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, & Twos and The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool.
Our teachers guide the children’s learning in the curriculum content areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and The Arts, while supporting each child’s social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. Theme units integrate the whole curriculum. Themes include topics such as Apples, Space, Insects, and Transportation.
We know that children learn and grow through engaging in diverse activities, so we design, monitor, and modify interest areas to enhance the children’s concepts and skills. Pre-K readiness, which includes using the alphabet and numbers, is interwoven within the interest area activities. Playing in these areas around the room – such as science and art centers – stimulates curiosity and creativity. In the family living center, children imitate real-life home and community activities, such as dinnertime, taking a pet to the vet, and shopping.
Blocks, puzzles, and cooking lead to discoveries about mathematics, science, and spatial awareness. These hands-on activities also improve the child’s fine-motor skills and eye-hand coordination. And outdoor play promotes large-motor skills, fitness, and fun.
Teacher-led story time, flannel board activities, finger plays, songs, story dictation, and group discussions enhance children’s language, communication, and cultural expression. Our children learn effective social interaction with their peers by participating in circle time, snack and lunch breaks, games, and imaginative play.
Throughout the days and weeks, the teacher documents the developmental progress of each child by writing observations, taking photos, and collecting the student’s work for his or her personal portfolio. The teacher evaluates the child’s progress by using the goals and objectives from The Creative Curriculum® Developmental Continuum.
The talented staff at Manor Discovery make these assessments in order to create activities that are attractive and stimulating to students, so that students can practice and achieve optimal learning and personal success.
Teachers communicate with each family through informal conferences and written reports.