• CURRICULUM_MAP
• LEAP CURRICULUM APPROACH
• BILINGUAL PROGRAM - ENGLISH AND SPANISH
• CERTIFIED TEACHERS
• COMPUTER LAB
• SMALL CLASS SIZES
• EMPHASIS ON CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
• HANDS ON LEARNING APPROACH
• DAILY EXPOSURE TO LEARNING CENTERS: ART,CIRCLE TIME,
MUSIC, DISCOVERY, BLOCKS, DRAMA, AND QUIET AREA
• INCORPORATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
• LARGE OUTDOOR PLAY GROUND
• SMART BOARD
• PHONICS SIX EASY STEPS TO READING
CURRICULUM MAP
Curriculum Map / Scope and Sequence
Two Year Old Program
Language Arts: Language development and listening skills that include color words, shapes, animals, transportation, countries, community helpers, health, safety, manners, science
Numbers: Simple counting 1-25
Number concepts 1-10
Three Year Old Program
Language Arts:
Recognition of name, sound, and picture for short vowels and consonants
Formation of vowels and consonants in upper and lower case
Language development and listening skills that include color words, shapes, animals, transportation, countries, community helpers, health, safety, manners, science
Numbers: Simple counting 1-30
Number concepts 1-15
Four and Five Year Old Program
Language Arts
Phonics and Reading:
Recognition of name, sound, and picture of long and short vowels and consonants
Sounding of blends and one- and two-vowel words
Reading of sentences and stories with one- and two-vowel words
Cursive Writing:
Formation of letters, blends, and words
Writing of first name
Poetry:
Twenty-eight poems and finger plays committed to memory
Language:
Language development and listening skills that include color words, shapes, animals, transportation, countries, community helpers, health, safety, manners, science
Numbers: Number recognition and counting 1-100
Number concepts 1-20
Numbers before and after 1-20
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LEAP CURRICULUM APPROACH
As parents, we would all want to provide our kids with the best possible advantage in enriching their learning experiences to inspire the child’s true potential.
At Smart Starts, we believe kids love to learn. Our LEAP program is designed to stimulate, develop, and foster a child's natural desire to explore their world by encouraging their quest to love learning. Our goal with the LEAP program is to enrich your child’s existing curriculum with exciting and innovative learning methods and experiences. Our program combines sound educational philosophy, creative use of materials, technology, special equipment, and outstanding motivated teachers to give your child a dynamic, rewarding learning experience that will last them a life time.
“While early childhood experts have always stressed the importance of the early years, brain research has now underscored the paramount importance of the first years of life. We now know that an infant’s brain contains 100 billion cells, the most brain cells a person will ever have. These cells connect with one another at a staggering pace; by age three a child’s brain has made over 1,000 trillion connections, about twice as many as the average adult has. These connections essentially form the brain’s "hard wiring," shaping children’s ability to learn as well as their capacity to regulate emotions.
In short, how we function as adults depends, in large measure, on how our brains developed when we were babies.” [1]
Synapses, connections between brain cells, start developing based on experiences when the brain's neurons are stimulated and permanent connections are formed. The more connections that are made, the
more the brain can develop, but the window of opportunity is brief. Children’s brains develop faster from birth to age three than any other time; and more learning takes place during this time than any other period. The best learning years in a child’s life is from birth to age 5. Therefore, the more learning opportunities that are provided to a child from birth until elementary school age, the more synapses that are created. The connections will serve as a pool of knowledge for a child to access in later years. This is a critical stage in their lives. Parents, caregivers and educators can create a strong foundation for future learning by providing a nurturing and rich learning environment from the very beginning.
This is a once in a lifetime window of learning opportunity that once closed, is gone forever.
Learning through Interaction: Contemporary research confirms that young children learn most effectively when they are engaged in interaction rather than in merely receptive or passive activities.[2] Young children therefore are most likely to be strengthening their natural tendency to learn when they are interacting with adults, peers, materials, and their surroundings in ways that help them make better and deeper sense of their own experiences and environment. They should be investigating and purposefully observing aspects of their environment worth learning about, and recording and representing their findings and observations through activities such as talk, paintings, drawings, construction, writing, and presentations. Interaction that arises in the course of such activities provides understanding for acquiring knowledge. The LEAP program uses a host of innovative methods and tools to engage the child and accomplish this goal.
One of the most important thing caregivers can do for a child is to provide a nurturing environment. By doing this, we influence children’s brain development and their ability to learn. Introducing nurtured children to enhanced learning opportunities will help them become happy, well-adjusted adults. In all stages of child development, each experience builds on the one before it. The most basic foundations can serve as the basis for the comprehension of more complex ideas in future years. Early experiences affect the development of the brain and lay the foundation for intelligence, emotional health, and moral development.[3] The key to success is ensuring that your child is exposed to rich, high quality learning opportunities during the crucial early years. This is the foundation of our LEAP program.
LEAP program is designed not only to provide children with an enriched learning advantage to stimulate brain development, but to encourage creativity, speaking and communication skills and to encourage leadership, self esteem The and personality development.
[1]October 1998, Looking into New Mirrors: Lessons for Early Childhood Finance and System-Building: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
[2]Bruner, 1999; Wood & Bennett, 1999
[3] October 3, 2000, National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development,
The Importance of a Quality Preschool Education
The vital early years! Did you know that ….. |
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50% of an individual’s ability to learn is developed in the first four years of life.
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Another 30% is developed by the eighth birthday.
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Those vital years lay down the pathways on which all future learning is based.
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After age ten, the branches that haven't made connections die off.
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Youngsters are their own best educators, parents their best first teachers.
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Youngsters learn best by what they experience with all their senses, so stimulate these senses.
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Our homes, beaches, forests, playgrounds, zoos, museums and adventure areas are the world's best schools.
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Simple physical routines can help infants explode into learning.
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Infants grow in a patterned way, so learn to build on that growth pattern.
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Learning anything, including reading, writing and math, can and should be fun.
This 10-point checklist comes from the introductory page of chapter 7, entitled The vital years, from the world's best-selling book of 1999, The Learning Revolution, by Gordon Dryden and Dr. Jeannette Vos.
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“if, as a society, we fail to meet the needs of our youngest children, none of our strategies for teaching them later will be as effective.” Rima Shore, Rethinking the Brain
"Many Things can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, his mind is being developed. To him, we cannot say tomorrow. His name is today." Nobel Laureate Gabriela Mistra
When kids learn best!
Social/Emotional: Birth - 18 months
Vocabulary : Birth - 3 years
Spatial/visual arts : Birth - 3 years
Math & Logic : Birth - 4 Years
Motor Skills : Birth - 5 years
2nd Language : Birth - 9 years
Language : Birth - 10 years
Music : 3 - 10 years
The Smart Start’s LEAP program enriches the learning experience when scientific research has proven kids can benefit the most!
Nancy Knowlton, the president of Smart Technologies, which pioneered the interactive whiteboard 13 years ago, said that a "substantial body of research" showed how the technology increased student engagement, improved information retention and student behavior and helped educators work more efficiently.
BILINGUAL PROGRAM - ENGLISH AND SPANISH
Spanish Curriculum Map / Scope and Sequence
Two Year Old Program
Development of language
The ability to recognize colors, shapes, and animals
The ability to recognize parts of the body
The ability to recognize family members
Introduce numbers and greetings
Three Year Old Program
Development of language
Colors, shapes, animals, and greetings
The ability to recognize parts of the body
The ability to recognize family members
Recognizing nouns, vowels, and numbers
Four and Five Year Old Program
Development of language
Colors, shapes, and animals
Parts of the body, family members, and greetings
Recognizing nouns, vowels, sounds, the alphabet, and numbers
Writing numbers and their name
Introduce the days of the week, and months of the year
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CERTIFIED TEACHERS
It is during the preschool years where education begins. We have been highly selective in our hiring practices and screening process. We have created a wonderful environment to nurture, care for, challenge, and inspire the love of learning. Most teachers have completed a formal education and are working on completing post-graduate studies. So, most surpass all of the minimum requirements set by the State of Florida. We hold high expectations for our teachers and staff as well as our students. Teachers and staff are encouraged to keep abreast of current research, teaching methods, and techniques as well as expected to incorporate them into their daily routines.
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COMPUTER LAB
Computer Lab Programs
Two Year Old Program
Jump Start: Baby, Toddler, Preschool, Preschool Essentials, Adv. Preschool
Reader Rabbit: Baby and Toddler, Toddler
Three Year Old Program
Jump Start: Toddler, Preschool, Preschool Essentials, Adv. Preschool
Phonics, Numbers, ABC’s, Pre-K, Spanish, World Languages
Reader Rabbit: Baby and Toddler, Toddler, Preschool, Phonics, Preschool Pack
Four and Five Year Old Program
Jump Start: Toddler, Preschool, Preschool Essentials, Adv. Preschool
Phonics, Numbers, ABC’s, Pre-K, Spanish, World Languages
Animals, Animal Adventures, Wildlife Safari, Kinder Fun Pack
Kindergarten, Advanced Kindergarten
Reader Rabbit: Baby and Toddler, Toddler, Preschool, Phonics, Preschool Pack
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SMALL CLASS SIZES
We strongly believe that quality is much more important than quantity. Maintaining low student-to-teacher ratio enables us to offer close supervision and individual attention to the students. Here are our ratios compared to the recommended ratios provided by the State of Florida.
-Age |
Our Ratios |
Recommended Ratios |
Infants |
1:4 |
1:4 |
1 year olds |
1:6 |
1:6 |
2 year olds |
1:11 |
1:11 |
3 year olds - |
1:12 |
1:15 |
4 year olds |
1:12 |
1:20 |
5 year olds |
1:12 |
1:25 |
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EMPHASIS ON CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Developing critical thinking and problem solving techniques begins at the early stages of development. The students are encouraged to use their thought process to solve everyday occurrences in the classroom. Teachers give students the opportunity to elaborate and explain their ideas, opinions, thoughts, predictions, needs, works of art, and actions. They are also constantly presenting them with questions and situations that enable them to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills.
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EMPHASIS ON HANDS ON LEARNING APPROACH:
Children learn best through play. That is why we enable the students to experience the learning process through the use of manipulatives, educational toys, art, music, discovery, blocks, drama, and puzzles. The point is children learn best by being actively involved in the lesson. This involves actually experiencing what is being taught by doing it, seeing it, smelling it, tasting it, touching it, or hearing it.
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DAILY EXPOSURE TO LEARNING CENTERS
Art, Circle Time, Music, Discovery, Blocks, Drama, and Quite Area
Learning Centers:
The children rotate around the learning centers that include art, music, discovery, blocks, drama, and quiet area. Each day the children also participate in circle time. In a typical day, children are exposed to:
Art:
Here students are exposed to clay, finger paint, crayons, markers, color pencils, painting on easels, glitter, crafts, glue, scissors, and encouraged to develop their creative abilities.
Music:
Here students are exposed to different musical instruments, toys that make noise, encouraged to develop their musical abilities, and enjoy the different sounds of music.
Discovery:
Here students are exposed to sand and water tables that give them the opportunity to experiment touching and feeling different objects dipped in sand and water, as well as exposure to other science related activities in order to develop their sense of touch, critical thinking, problem solving, and sense of curiosity.
Blocks:
Here the students are exposed a variety of manipulatives such as wooden blocks, Mega blocks, cars, string beads, Mr. Potato, lego table, and encouraged to develop and use their eye-hand coordination, imagination, visual discrimination, mathematical skills, and analytical skills.
Drama:
Here students are exposed to costumes, hats, props, kitchen furniture & supplies, doctor kits, dolls, cash register & store supplies, puppets, puppet theatre, and encouraged to develop their creativity, role-playing techniques, acting skills, and imagination.
Quiet Area:
Here students are exposed to books, magnetic letters & numbers, puzzles, thinking games & activities, and encouraged to develop their critical thinking, problem solving, cognitive, and reading skills.
Circle Time:
Here students are exposed to literature, songs, hand & body movements, stretching exercises, dancing, acting, and encouraged to tell stories, listen to stories, read aloud, create stories, predict what will happen in a story, and follow directions in order to use and develop their language, listening, cognitive, critical thinking & problem solving, and cooperative group skills, as well as develop their large-motor muscles.
Outdoor & Indoor Play Time:
Here students are exposed to outdoor and indoor play equipment and encouraged to run, play, use their imagination, and get physical exercise in order to develop their large-motor muscles.
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INCORPORATING CHARACTER EDUCATION
We believe that character education is equally as important as academic and religious teachings. That is why we incorporate lessons and readings that assist in the development of the students’ character as well as model and encourage proper behaviors such as respect, self-esteem, good manners, self-discipline, responsibility, and moral values.
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LARGE OUTDOOR PLAY GROUND
Large Outdoor and Indoor Play Areas:
Children need to develop their gross motor skills and coordination through movement. We provide the students with both a large outdoor and indoor play area in order to enable them to use and develop their gross motor skills and coordination. Students use the play ground equipment and play areas to practice balancing, jumping, stretching, hopping, riding, walking, running, swinging, dancing, sliding, climbing, throwing, catching, crawling, and most importantly having plain old FUN!
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Smart Board
Smart Board is a touch sensitive display that connects to the computer and digital projector to show your computer image on the white board. It allows the teacher's lesson to come alive and make learning fun and interactive. This enables our students to get more involved with their lessons.
