Curriculum: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:03, 26 January 2026

Preschool

Each day the children engage in both formal lesson time as well as unstructured play and learning centers time, allowing them to be well-rounded through several modes of developmentally-appropriate learning (play-based, teacher-led, child-led, etc.). During the school year, we utilize Frog Street's pre-k curriculum as source material for our lessons. We encourage teachers to cater to their strengths when choosing which areas to highlight in the lessons. Incorporating additional activities and crafts is also welcome. There are paper FrogStreet curriculum books and materials, as well as a robust online portal for songs, ebooks, etc. as well as a digital version of the curriculum books.

During the Summer Session, our staff, in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Standards and Kindergarten Readiness standards, creates our formal lessons. They may also use the Big Day for Prek curriculum resources to create lesson plans. Copies of each week’s lesson plans, and corresponding activities and instructions are in the “Lesson Plan” binder in each of the classrooms. They are also kept electronically in Google Drive. You are encouraged to look ahead to see the lessons for the week. Preparation for the following day’s lesson can be completed during nap time or first thing in the morning during early drop off time. Teaching leads are given at least 1 hour weekly administrative time outside of ratios for Lesson Planning.

For both the Summer Session and the School Year, we encourage the use of Fundations products for extra early literacy skills. There is a Teaching Guide that can be used as a resource and for more information on how to use the flashcards, letter formation scripts, Baby Echo, etc.

If you need access to the Google Drive folder or Frog Street portal, please speak to Administration for access.

School Age

School age children during the school year follow a daily schedule, and there are Sprouts teacher-created lessons and themes on wraparound days. Teachers work collaboratively to create and lead lessons and activities around themes, which are shared with families and approved by administrators. These lessons follow PA standards, with the standards listed on the lesson plans and on the lesson calendars, which are to be posted on the wall in the school age childcare area, visible to parents and staff. Staff will help the children with homework whenever possible and the child is cooperative. However, there are formal lessons prepared for half days and in-service days following PA Standards. As with preschool, they will be printed in a Lesson Plan folder as well as stored electronically in Google Drive.

In the event of Distance Learning/Remote Learning days, staff will make an effort to help children on to their calls, complete their work, and adhere to their school's schedule. Meal times for the class at the center must be followed regardless of online schedules. (For more information on this topic, staff can refer to the technology and distance learning policies signed upon enrollment by families.)

During summer, daily lessons are scheduled, similar to in-service/drop-in days for the children.

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 [[Category: Sprouts]]
-Each day the children engage in both formal lesson time as well as unstructured play and centers time to be well rounded through developmentally appropriate learning.  During the school year, we utilize Big Day for PreK curriculum as source material for our lessons. We encourage teachers to cater to their strengths when choosing which areas to highlight in the lessons. Incorporating additional activities and crafts is also welcome.
+'''Preschool'''
-During the Summer Session, our staff, in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Standards and Kindergarten Readiness standards, creates our formal lessons.  Copies of each week’s lesson plans, and corresponding activities and instructions are in the “Lesson Plan” file in the Teacher Offices.  You are encouraged to look ahead to see the lessons for the week.  Preparation for the following day’s lesson can be completed during nap time or first thing in the morning during early drop off time. Teaching leads are giving weekly administrative time outside of ratios for Lesson Planning.
+Each day the children engage in both formal lesson time as well as unstructured play and learning centers time, allowing them to be well-rounded through several modes of developmentally-appropriate learning (play-based, teacher-led, child-led, etc.).  During the school year, we utilize Frog Street's pre-k curriculum as source material for our lessons. We encourage teachers to cater to their strengths when choosing which areas to highlight in the lessons. Incorporating additional activities and crafts is also welcome. There are paper FrogStreet curriculum books and materials, as well as a [https://portal2.frogstreet.com/login robust online portal] for songs, ebooks, etc. as well as a digital version of the curriculum books.
-For Both Summer Session and the School Year, we also use Fundations products for extra early literacy skills. There is a Teaching Guide that can be used as a resource and for more information on how to use the flashcards, letter formation scripts, Baby Echo, etc.
+During the Summer Session, our staff, in accordance with [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1cqgqIMNM6kvZxYfUndw5kFcXhk1QwuEh Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Standards and Kindergarten Readiness standards], creates our formal lessons. They may also use the Big Day for Prek curriculum resources to create lesson plans. Copies of each week’s lesson plans, and corresponding activities and instructions are in the “Lesson Plan” binder in each of the classrooms. They are also kept electronically in [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0AFCNgn2LMtm6Uk9PVA Google Drive.] You are encouraged to look ahead to see the lessons for the week.  Preparation for the following day’s lesson can be completed during nap time or first thing in the morning during early drop off time. Teaching leads are given at least 1 hour weekly administrative time outside of ratios for Lesson Planning.
-More Information on Big Day for PreK: The Lessons are organized into eight 4-week Themes, each contained in a curriculum book. Within each book, there are weekly overviews and detailed lessons. The days are organized into 3 Big Experiences. These are overall ideas that you are trying to communicate, and each has multiple options for what you can do. This can be crafts, games, books, activities, songs, etc. We generally use Big Experience 1, and then combine Big Experience 2 & 3. Adding complimentary content is permitted. There are several types of materials utilized regularly with the curriculum. These are typically in the Theme Boxes in the downstairs Teacher's Office. They are: Math Mats, Posters (both large and small), Vocabulary Words (for the Word Wall), Books, Songs and Fingerplays. Please also note that there are many online resources available through the curriculum, such as worksheets and other handouts. These have been uploaded to the Sprouts google drive folder.
+For both the Summer Session and the School Year, we encourage the use of Fundations products for extra early literacy skills. There is a Teaching Guide that can be used as a resource and for more information on how to use the flashcards, letter formation scripts, Baby Echo, etc.
-If you need access to the google drive folder, please speak to the Director for access.
+If you need access to the Google Drive folder or Frog Street portal, please speak to Administration for access.
-The Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards can be found here: https://www.pakeys.org/pa-early-learning-initiatives/early-learning-standards/
+'''School Age'''
+School age children during the school year follow a daily schedule, and there are Sprouts teacher-created lessons and themes on wraparound days. Teachers work collaboratively to create and lead lessons and activities around themes, which are shared with families and approved by administrators. These lessons follow PA standards, with the standards listed on the lesson plans and on the lesson calendars, which are to be posted on the wall in the school age childcare area, visible to parents and staff. Staff will help the children with homework whenever possible and the child is cooperative. However, there are formal lessons prepared for half days and in-service days following [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1cqgqIMNM6kvZxYfUndw5kFcXhk1QwuEh PA Standards]. As with preschool, they will be printed in a Lesson Plan folder as well as stored electronically in Google Drive.
+In the event of Distance Learning/Remote Learning days, staff will make an effort to help children on to their calls, complete their work, and adhere to their school's schedule. Meal times for the class at the center must be followed regardless of online schedules. (For more information on this topic, staff can refer to the technology and distance learning policies signed upon enrollment by families.)
+During summer, daily lessons are scheduled, similar to in-service/drop-in days for the children.