Wee Lad & Lassie 
Preschool and Child Care Programs

Program Overview:

The two-year-old program builds upon the skills and interest your child has gained through the toddler stage. To coincide with the development of imaginary and social play skills, friendships and dramatic play are emphasized and encouraged as we explore a variety of thematic topics. We offer a play-based curriculum based on Creative Curriculum that includes Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and Art. We also include weekly enrichment classes in Music, Spanish and Physical Education. Children are offered opportunities to participate in cooperative as well as independent play in both small and large groups. View a sample daily schedule and check out each classroom's photo gallery for images from a typical day at school. Visit the staff page to meet our teachers.

 

We offer a varied attendance schedule in this classroom with choices ranging from two half-days (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) to five full days (7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) We are proud to have achieved and maintained Maryland State Department of Education Early Childhood Accreditation since 2005!

 

Curriculum:

Project Approach to Learning.  

We are happy to announce during the 2022-2023 school year we added additional resources from Creative Curriculum, which includes the project approach to learning.

This approach is the most comprehensive, research-proven curriculum that nurtures children’s curiosity about the world and promotes development and learning in every area. The curriculum introduces children to monthly project-based investigations where they explore questions related to familiar, authentic topics through hands-on activities that promote development and learning.

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Social Emotional Development

 

Young children’s social emotional development involves learning how to understand their own and other’s feelings, regulate and express their emotions appropriately, build relationships with others, and interact in groups. Social emotional development flourishes when children have close, supportive, and trusting relationships with adults. The two year old program will give children opportunities to develop and grow these skills through interactions with caring adults and peers.

Physical Development
Physical development includes children’s gross-motor (large muscle) and fine motor small muscle) skills.  Children will use a variety of equipment and materials; planned appropriate movement experiences and opportunities to practice and apply these skills. Our students will have opportunities to develop skills in running, jumping, climbing, balancing, rolling and tossing balls and parachute play.  Fine motor skills are developed through exploration of writing and drawing tools, painting and using fingers and hands with toys and games.

Language Development
Language is the principal tool for establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and other children.  Children’s desire to communicate their thoughts, ideas, needs, and feelings with others motivates them to develop language. Learning to understand and use words is a complex process.  Language also involves learning about the structure and sequence of speech sounds, vocabulary, grammar, and the rules for engaging in appropriate and effective conversation.  Children will improve verbal communication by reciting fingerplays, singing songs and engaging in adult and peer conversations. Children will also have many opportunities during play and learning activities to develop language and learn new vocabulary.

Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is influenced by children’s approaches to learning as well as his or her biological makeup and the environment.  The following of an effective curriculum and intentional teaching methods supports this development.  Daily activities nurture and develop childrens' “love of learning.”

Literacy
The early years are critical for literacy development.  During the early childhood years, children engage in emergent reading and writing behaviors that form the foundation for conventional literacy. Children will develop an awareness and enjoyment of literature through storytelling, flannel board stories, puppetry and traditional read-a-louds. Opportunities to explore rhyming, names of letters, and re-telling stories build pre-emergent reading skills.

Mathematics
Firsthand exploration is important for learning mathematics. Through the essential process skills of problem solving, reasoning, communicating, making connections, and representing, children learn the basic skills for future math success.  Children will explore math manipulatives to practice basic numeracy skills such as counting, quantifying, and connecting numerals with their quantities.  Children will also explore shapes and spatial relationships through hands on activities.  Children will be given the opportunity to explore and measure through activities with water tables, blocks and various measuring tools. Children will be exposed to patterns through the exploration of patterns in everyday life.

Science and Technology
Science content during early childhood focuses on living things (life science), the physical properties of materials and objects (physical science) and the Earth’s environment and how we care for it (earth science). Science is taught through integrated, hands-on, child-centered inquiry.  Children learn to engage in the process of scientific thinking, gaining understanding, and making connections. Children will explore plants, animals, magnets, properties of water and weather changes to foster scientific inquiry skills.

Social Studies
Everyday experiences provide the foundation for learning social studies. Teachers build upon children’s interests and use them to introduce children to other places, traditions and cultures. Children will explore social studies to begin to learn how to be researchers, critical thinkers, and active members of a classroom community.  Students are offered opportunities to participate in caring for the classroom environment, themselves and each other as part of our daily routine.

The Arts
Our art philosophy is "It's the process not the product"! This allows students the chance to explore the world around them, ask questions, and see how things work. Process art fits in with how children learn because it allows them room to be themselves, make their own decisions, and just create. Children will express themselves creatively through the visual arts, music, dance and drama. In addition to using the arts to create, children will begin to develop an awareness and appreciation for the art of others.  Children are provided with daily opportunities to create art through the use of various mediums and multiple art techniques. Art is also integrated into the other subject areas through music, dance and drama.

Spanish
The program's goal is to expose children  to the Spanish language through age appropriate songs, themes and concepts.