Parent/Child Classes for Newborns and Older
These classes meet once a week
for an hour. Each five-week session is designed for infants up to 17 months. Children and their parent or caregiver, along
with our experienced instructor, will participate in activities to build parent/child bonding, communication and education.
Time with Tots
This class meets once a week in the morning from and is specially
designed for toddlers 18 to 36 months. Children and their parent or caregiver, along with a teacher, participate in a variety
of sensory experiences, dramatic play, stories and more. Siblings are welcome to attend for an additional fee.
All By Myself
For children who are 2 years old by June 1. This class
has two teachers, a maximum of 10 children and meets two days per week.
For many children, this is their first
school experience on their own. Early in the year, goals for this class include successfully dealing with separation issues,
learning how to predict and follow routine, exploring different materials and learning to become a member of the classroom
community. Teachers facilitate language skills, socialization and problem-solving abilities. As the year progresses, children
work on self-help skills such as cleaning up and taking off their coats, communication and early literacy skills, along with
dramatic play experiences and experimentation in art.
3-Year Olds
For children who are 3 years old by September 1st. There is
a 6:1 child-to-teacher ratio, and the class is limited to 16 children. This class meets three or four days a week.
As the children become preschoolers, more opportunities for socialization, negotiation and problem solving take place. The
curriculum revolves around a theme each week, such as drama, art, language arts, music/movement, math, science and social
studies. For example, cooking projects meet the following curricular goals: socialization by following directions and taking
turns with peers, language as children are exposed to new vocabulary, math as they measure ingredients and science as raw
eggs are cooked, scrambled and changed with food coloring.
Examples of weekly themes include:
- Colors
(Yellow): Squeeze lemons, make lemonade and create a lemonade stand. Along with science, the 3-year olds learn about
the economic systems of the United States by beginning to understand the use of trade to obtain goods and services.
- Animals:
Read and discuss stories about different types of animals, create artwork using various media depicting animals, have a teddy
bear picnic.
Sample Curriculum for 3 Year Old Class
4-Year Olds
For children who are 4 years old by September 1st. There
is a 7:1 child-to-teacher ratio for this group. This class meets four days a week.
Our older preschoolers are now
thinking about and planning their play experiences more than before. Block building is more complex as children sort, compare,
make patterns, explore spatial relationships and measure. Trial-and-error experiences are a wonderful way for children to
hypothesize and try out their ideas. Language and literacy, such as listening skills, oral expression, beginning sight vocabulary,
beginning print skills and early writing ability are promoted through large-group time and calendar discussion, journals,
story time and more. The children enhance their learning through field trips to locations such as the beach to explore and
collect items for special projects, the police station and the fire house.
Examples of weekly themes include:
- Winter: Construct igloos and ice castles, create snow-people artwork, explore real and man-made snow,
make stone soup.
- Harvest Time: Make applesauce, compare and contrast different apples for color/taste/number
of seeds/texture, eat apple then plant its seeds to grow an apple tree, create apple tree artwork.
Lunch Bunch
One day each week for an hour, 4-year olds may attend an extended day, in which
they bring a sack lunch and enjoy the company of friends and teachers and an extra measure of art, storytelling and outdoor
fun. There is an additional fee for this optional program.
Lunch 'N Learn
With this enhanced Lunch Bunch program, your child will enjoy lunch with classmates and then participate in an
enrichment activity. This optional program is offered one day per week for 3-year-olds or one day per week for 4-year-olds.
This a la carte program designed especially for preschoolers will be under the direction of our DCNS experienced staff.
The emphasis of the developmentally appropriate curriculum will be literacy, math and science. Each week, the teacher
will choose a curricular area that will be complemented by indoor and outdoor free play, art and lunchtime. As an added bonus,
parents will receive information about the day's activity along with the focused learning area and the benchmarks met
from the Illinois Early Learning Standards. Children should bring their own nut-free lunch and drink.
Sample Curriculum for Lunch N Learn
