Jump Start Preschool
Our Curriculum
"We sent my oldest son and now my youngest son to Jump Start Preschool. The teachers are amazing and excel at teaching social emotional skills. The curriculum is so fun that the kids are learning while ... playing. We are very happy to be a part of the Jump Start Preschool family." - Monica L, parent
Our research-based curriculum builds confidence and excitement about learning at every age and stage and helps children get ready for all the big steps ahead in school and in life.
Social & Emotional Skills
At Jump Start Preschool, we recognize that each child is an individual, with his or her own unique skills and interests. We believe in providing a personalized approach to early childhood education. Our highly trained teachers take the time to get to know each individual child. We work hard to foster meaningful relationships amongst the children and between teachers and students.
Knowing that strong social emotional skills are the keys to a child's success, we ensure that children at Jump Start Preschool have endless opportunities to build self-confidence, independence, a strong sense of self-worth, and the ability to build and maintain strong friendships that can last a lifetime.
Language & Literacy Skills
Language Skills
Young children develop language skills at a remarkable rate and we provide opportunities to help them do so. We facilitate the growth of spoken language through speaking with the children and through actively encouraging them to speak with each other. We ask for their opinions, model patterns of conversation, ask them questions and utilize descriptive language to help them begin to label items and feelings.
Literacy Skills
At Jump Start Preschool, we foster a love of reading and a familiarity with the alphabet at a developmentally appropriate level. We encourage the development of literacy skills by reading to children regularly, both individually and in groups, and by having books accessible throughout our days. We model reading and writing throughout our interactions with the children, seamlessly demonstrating the importance of literacy through daily activities.
Cognitive Skills
Science
The world is filled with opportunities for exploration and the development of scientific knowledge. At Jump Start Preschool, children learn about science throughout our days, including through gardening, cooking, mixing colors, observing our classroom pets, the changes of the seasons and the growth of our plants. We know that the world is theirs to discover, and we provide our children with the opportunities to do so.
Problem Solving
One of the key aspects of cognitive development is the ability to analyze and solve problems. Children learn these skills through play as they solve puzzles, figure out how to make their block tower stand, and experiment with different materials. At Jump Start Preschool, we encourage our children to ask questions, and to help discover the answers themselves.
Math
At Jump Start Preschool, we recognize the opportunity to develop math skills through play. We provide opportunities for children to sort, add and subtract in developmentally appropriate, play based ways. Children learn by counting the people and items they come in contact with throughout their days - blocks, beads, each other, the number of chairs at the table... We also teach numbers by singing songs, doing puzzles and reading books with numbers in them.
Physical Skills
Large Motor Skills
Large motor skills, the ability to control and successfully utilize one's larger muscles, are vital to many experiences children will have in their future, both in and out of school, such as playing on the playground, participating in sports, riding a bicycle and sitting at a desk. We provide daily opportunities for children to play outside and to build these essential skills.
Fine Motor / Writing Skills
Fine motor skills, the ability to both identify and control small objects with one's hands, are critical for many tasks such as writing, drawing, picking up dropped Cheerios and finding pennies in your pocket. We support the development of fine motor skills by providing hands on experiences such as drawing, painting, using eye droppers with liquid, cutting and using stickers, and sensory experiences such as playing with finger paint, sand and water.
Individualization
Through careful observation and assessment, our teachers use Teaching Strategies GOLD to gather data across all learning domains to determine where each child is developmentally and to track each child's progress over time. We utilize this information to create individualized learning goals for each child and to guide our curriculum planning, focusing simultaneously on individual children and the classroom as a whole. We carefully align our curriculum with the Pre-K and Kindergarten learning standards outlined in the Curriculum Frameworks of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, ensuring that our children graduate ready to take their next steps in school.
We share our observations with families on a regular basis, and hold parent teacher conferences twice a year to discuss each child's progress and goals.
Through our efforts and our collaboration with families, we set up children up for success!
Special Visits From...
-
Local Police & Fire Departments
-
Santa Claus
-
Magicians
-
Scientists
-
Soccer Shots
-
Puppet Shows
Field Trips & Special Events
-
Pumpkin Farm & Hayride
-
Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner
-
Visit to the Zoo
-
Children's Holiday Party
-
International Day
-
Halloween Celebrations
-
End of the Year Family Picnic!
Our children graduate from Jump Start Preschool as confident individuals and learners, ready to take on the excitement, academic, social and behavioral expectations of kindergarten & beyond!
School Readiness
We do so by encouraging:
-
A Growth mindset - We encourage children to ask questions, fostering a thirst to understand how things work.
-
Executive Functioning Skills - We inspire children to innovate, plan, problem solve and apply information in creative and resourceful manners.
We know that early childhood education is not about memorizing facts; It is about developing key skills and enhancing children's natural curiosity. Through our integrated curriculum, we allow our children to understand not just what to learn, but how to learn.