A Child Learns by Doing
Our philosophy of education centers around play. Play is the most complete educational process of the mind. This allows the development of the "whole" child - intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically - and facilitates the natural unfolding of each child's potential. In return, the child experiences a growing sense of self-worth and a personal joy in learning.
Young children learn in a different manner than do older children. Young children learn by actual contact with real objects, events, and people. (That's why field trips, outdoor play, and other exciting activities are so important.) Young children learn by involving themselves in exploring, discovering, repeating, and by continually adapting what they see into their daily lives.
Young children are not yet prepared to learn by words alone. They do not learn by explanations or descriptions of things that are far off in time or space. Just because young children can repeat words easily, does not necessarily mean they understand and grasp the meaning behind the words. It is only through varied, first-person real life experience that words are filled with meaning for the young child.
Preschool is a time to begin learning independence, while developing trust and respect for others. An important part of this program is social adjustment, sharing and cooperating with others. Our goal is for them to "want" to come to school by stressing that "learning is fun."
There are many skill levels and unit topics covered during a school year, and we try to make all of it fun and interesting. Included in these units are numerous projects and many forms of art for enhancement. Most important of all is the child learning to see himself/herself as an individual who is unique with qualities unlike any other.
Fun Things We Do
Field Trips
We take exciting field trips each year to destinations such as the Pumpkin Patch/Farm and StoryBook Theater.
Parties
We have a number of special celebrations throughout the school year during normal classroom hours, including a Halloween Party, Winter Holiday Party, Valentines Party, and Spring Fling Party.
Spirit Days
The kids have a wonderful time dressing up on Spirit Days such as "Pajama Day," "Crazy Hair & Hat Day," or "Pirates and Princesses Day!"
Special Events
Each year, some very special educational and entertaining guests visit us at Highlands Preschool. These may include a storytime visit from the local librarian or a great show from a performer such as Xakary the Magician!
Early Threes Curriculum
A. Activities
This is usually the first school experience for the Early Threes. It is a time for the child to develop independence, learn and expand social skills, and build a sense of himself/herself as a problem-solving and reasoning individual. Our Early Threes program includes story time, a daily art project, movement to music, and group activities. These allow the child to develop a curiosity for life and a way to express his or her individuality.
B. Skill Areas Covered
1. Motor Skills
a. Large motor movement
(1) Running
(2) Jumping
(3) Climbing
(4) Learning movement to music
b. Small motor movement
(1) Crayons, markers
(2) Paints
(3) Glue
(4) Manipulative games
(5) Puzzles
(6) Finger plays
(7) Building blocks
2. Language Development
a. Singing songs
b. Reciting finger plays
c. Reading stories
d. Feeling comfortable expressing ideas
e. Answering "Question of the Week"
f. Recognizing name
3. Social Skills
a. Learning to share and play well with others
b. Learning personal space and boundaries
c. Learning to respect the property of others
d. Learning to respect the feelings of others
e. Learning manners
4. Math Development
a. Counting numbers 1 through 10
b. Introducing shapes and colors
c. Mixing colors
C. Unit Topics
Teachers will alternate selections from the following unit topics:
1. Colors
2. Shapes
3. Dinosaurs
4. Space
5. Animals
6. Insects
7. Sea life
8. Plants
9. Holidays
10. Seasons
11. Nursery Rhymes
12. Fairy Tales
13. "Pete" the cat
14. Authors: Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle
15. Jungle, zoo
15. Community Helpers
15. Rainforest
Preschool Curriculum (3 year olds)
A. Activities
The three year old needs to build a sense of themselves as a problem-solving, reasoning individual, while developing trust and independence. This is accomplished through many play experiences. Play is a key mode to development. This program includes daily art projects, skill builders, circle time, and group activities. These allow the child to gain a greater awareness of his or her individuality.
B. Skill Areas Covered
1. Motor
a. Large motor movement
(1) Running
(2) Jumping
(3) Climbing
(4) Learning movement to music
b. Small motor movement
(1) Crayons, markers
(2) Paints
(3) Glue
(4) Manipulative games
(5) Puzzles
(6) Finger plays
(7) Building blocks
2. Language Development
a. Singing songs
b. Reciting finger plays
c. Speaking in complete sentences
d. Feeling comfortable expressing ideas
e. Introducing letters and sounds
f. Answering the "Question of the Week"
g. Learning days of the week
h. Learning months of the year
i. Recognizing name
j. Recognizing opposites
k. Recognizing shapes and colors
3. Science
a. Day and night
b. Recycling
c. Weather
4. Social Skills
a. Learning to share and play well with others
b. Learning to respect the property of others
c. Learning to respect the feelings of others
d. Learning manners
e. Listening and following directions
5. Math Development
a. Counting numbers 1 through 30
b. Sequencing
c. Graphing
d. Patterning
e. Learning same vs. different
C. Unit Topics
Teachers will alternate selections from the following unit topics:
1. Colors
2. Shapes
3. Dinosaurs
4. Space
5. Animals
6. Insects
7. Sea Life
8. Plants
9. Holidays
10. Seasons
11. Nursery Rhymes
12. Fairy Tales
13. "Pete" the Cat
14. Authors: Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle
15. Jungle, Zoo
15. Community Helpers
15. Rainforest
Pre-K Curriculum (4 year olds)
A. Activities
The Pre-K program will help your child gain the skills and personal readiness necessary for kindergarten. This program includes daily art projects, skill builders, circle time, and group activities. These allow the child to gain a greater awareness of his or her individuality. Letters and their relation to sound are introduced. We will emphasize understanding of number concepts as opposed to learning to count by memorization. Your child creates his or her own art work and will be proud of their own creation. Good development of fine and gross motor skills must occur before your child is ready for prolonged seatwork in kindergarten.
B. Skill Areas Covered
1. Motor Skills
a. Large motor movement
(1) Jumping, running
(2) Riding a tricycle
(3) Distinguishing right and left hands
(4) Moving rhythmically to music and clapping
b. Small motor movement
(1) Controlling crayons, markers, paint
(2) Using paste and glue
(3) Learning finger plays
(4) Writing first name
(5) Using scissors
2. Language Development
a. Expressing ideas
b. Speaking clearly
c. Speaking in complete sentences
d. Singing and reciting songs and finger plays
e. Speaking in front of peers
f. Waiting for their turn to talk in a group
3. Reading and Math
a. Learning upper and lower case letters and their sounds
b. Learning left and right
c. Learning top and bottom
d. Classifying objects
e. Dictating stories
f. Learning days of the week
g. Learning months of the year
h. Patterning
i. Sequencing
j. Estimating
k. Identifying basic shapes
l. Learning beginning number concepts
m. Counting
4. Science
a. The five senses
b. Nutrition
c. Weather
d. Animals
e. Seasons
5. Social Studies
a. Myself, my friends, my school
b. Community helpers
c. Transportation
6. Art
a. Basic colors
b. Color blending (ex., Yellow+Blue=Green)
c. Crafts
d. Painting with various medium
7. Music
a. Singing and moving to music
b. Following directions from songs
c. Clapping rhythmically
8. Social Skills
a. Working and playing with others
b. Learning self-control
c. Respecting property of others
d. Recognizing and accepting responsibility
C. Unit Topics
Teachers will alternate selections from the following unit topics:
1. Frogs & Turtles (amphibians & reptiles)
2. Space, Stars, Planets
3. Sea Life
4. Zoo Animals
5. Farm Animals
6. Holidays
7. Seasons
8. Alphabet
9. Rhyming
10. Fairy Tales/Kingdoms
11. Polar Animals
12. Dinosaurs
Sample Daily Schedule
Schedules vary by class.
| AM Classes | PM Classes | Activity |
| 9:00-9:50 | 11:45-12:35 | Welcome to class and art project, seat work (Pre-K) |
| 9:50-10:20 | 12:35-1:05 | Big Room time |
| 10:20-10:40 | 1:05-1:25 | Snack time |
| 10:40-10:55 | 1:25-1:40 | Circle time |
| 10:55-11:15 | 1:40-2:00 | Outside time or classroom play |
| 11:15-11:30 | 2:00-2:15 | Story time |
| 11:30 | 2:15 | Dismiss |
Distance Learning Program
In addition to our normal in-person classes, we offer Distance Learning options! Our teachers have carefully crafted the Distance Learning program to provide the same high-quality in-person curriculum and experience that Highlands Preschool is known for. Our Distance Learning program curriculum follows our in-person curriculum and includes art, stories, educational activities, worksheets, calendar, Letters of the Week, science experiments, counting, and much more. Once a month, we provide you with a physical packet of supplies. Then each week, you will receive an email from your student's teacher, going over that week's curriculum and instruction.
Program Goals
By the time your child completes their experience at Highlands Preschool, our goal is for them to be ready for kindergarten in a variety of ways. Here are some of the things we are striving for your child to accomplish:
Colors and Shapes
Numbers
Reading Readiness
Position and Direction
Listening and Sequencing
Motor Skills
Social-Emotional Development