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HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

EARLY CHILDHOOD

6 Weeks - Pre K

Our infants through one year olds are learning skills such as trunk control, neck strength, taking first steps, smiling for the first time and waving "bye-bye". Our infants reach these milestones through the way they play, speak, behave, and move. In the first year, we are helping our infants learn to focus their vision, reach out, explore, and learn about the world around them. Our GCA Preschool teachers work on cognitive development with our infants by helping the learning processes of memory, language, thinking and reasoning. Our infants are developing bonds of love and trust with parents and teachers as part of social and emotional development. The way we cuddle, hold, and play with our infants sets the basis for how they will interact with them and others.

Our one year olds are learning so many new things! They are learning social and emotional skills like sharing and playing games like "pat a cake". They are working on language and communication milestones such as waving bye bye, calling parents and teachers by name "mama and dada". They are learning the word "no" and to pause or stop when they are told "no". We strive at this age to teach "wanted behaviors" but showing what to do and using positive words for encouragement. They are working through cognitive milestones while thinking and problem solving. They may put something "in" a container, take it "out". They like to look for things they see you hide, like a toy under a blanket. They are also learning to move their bodies in different ways and reaching movement and physical developmental milestones. They are learning to pull themselves up to stand. They are beginning to learn how to drink from a cup. They are learning gross and fine motor skills, walking and pinching things between their fingers. On a daily basis we work on exploration, language development, safety, gross and fine motor skills.

Our two year old class is mastering a whole range of social and emotional milestones. They learn how to empathize with a classmate when they are hurt or upset. They are always looking to the teacher's face to see how to react in a new situation. Languange and communication milestones we work on at this age are "pointing" and identifying "Where is the bear?". They are learning to connect two words together to make phrases, "more juice". They are learning to point and identify shapes, colors, etc. They are learning to problem solve, for example: using, switched, knobs and buttons. They are mastering fine and gross motor skills. They may start to run and kick and eat with utensils.

Our three year olds are getting ready for preschool. They are learning to regulate themselves and calm themselves down at drop off time. They are encouraged to notice and welcome other chlidren and invite them to play. Language and communication is continuing to imporove, we work on conversation and at least two back and forth exchanges. They practice asking questions, "who", "where", "why". We work on language and communication milestones by reading books together and identify actions like "running", "eating" and "playing". We are working on saying first names when asked. From a learning, thinking and problem solving perspective, we are working on drawing shapes and following rules for safety. Learners work on fine motor skills by activities like stringing items together. Learners are beginning to learn how to dress themselves by playing dress up. They continue to work with utensils to master fine motor skills. Our three year old learners love outside time where they can practice gross motor skills like kicking or throwing a ball.

Our 4 and 5 year old VPK scholars are working on lots of social and emotional milestones. They are encouraged to pretend to be something else during play like teachers, doctors, superheroes, etc. They are learning manners, how to share, how to ask permission to engage in activities. They are learning in VPK how to avoid danger and make safe and healthy choices. They are learning to be good "helpers" and changing behavior's based on the environment they are in. Their language skills are improving in VPK and they are learning to string longer sentences together, repeat stories from songs or nursery rhymes. They are encouraged to follow rules and take turns. Our VPK students are encouraged to talk about their day and answer simple questions from a story. Out on the playground, they continue to develop gross and fine motor skills and master physical development milestones. They are kicking, throwing, pouring themselves drinks with supervision, buttoning and unbuttoning, mastering fasteners, zippers and other skills. They are working on holding a crayon on pencil between their fingers. Our VPK learners are getting ready for Kindergarten and we are so excited!

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