Curriculum & Development
All Brandywine Valley Christian Preschool & Kindergarten classes utilize High Scope Curriculum. High Scope Curriculum is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum carefully designed to provide a rich academic foundation and foster child creativity and independence. In addition, the curriculum and lesson plans for our Two’s, Three’s, and Pre-Kindergarten classes are aligned with the Delaware Early Learning Foundations. Our Kindergarten curriculum and lesson plans are aligned with the Delaware State Standards and the National Common Core Standards.
Our students also enjoy bi-weekly music class. The students learn vocalization and simple rhythm instruments while exploring musical theory in a fun way.
Areas of Development
Our curriculum and lesson plans focus on fostering healthy and age-appropriate growth in many different developmental areas, including:
Cognitive Development • Emotional • Physical • Social • Spiritual
Cognitive Development
- Storytelling increases a child’s understanding and enjoyment of language and the printed word. The objective is to stimulate imagination and encourage creativity. It also helps develop oral communication skills, and strengthens listening and pre-reading skills. Storytelling can be approached in a number of ways, including the use of flannel boards, props, starters and books.
- Each room has a Book Corner. We provide daily opportunities to encourage enthusiasm and a love for books as the children embark on their reading journey. Spending time in books helps increase language, vocabulary and spelling skills, and matching information with real life experience.
- High Scope is a research-based curriculum that focuses on the child through engaging and participatory activities that enhance their learning experience. It uses the “Plan Do Review” process that help children with their critical thinking skills.
- Treasures is Macmillan/McGraw-Hill’s comprehensive reading/language arts program that offers proven tools and strategies for helping teachers give the children what they need to succeed. High-quality literature, coupled with explicit instruction and ample practice, insures that all children have what they need to learn and grow as lifelong readers and writers. Our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes use this program.
- Writing is a valuable part of literacy development and is available to children on a daily basis. Given opportunities and various materials, children begin to experiment with writing on their own, as they being to understand the importance of letters, signs, and symbols. Our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes spend time practicing their writing by keeping journals.
- Math concepts are best learned using manipulative materials which motivate children to explore concepts that include counting, classifying, patterning, measuring, sequencing, estimating, graphing, sorting, comparing, and one-to-one correspondence. Activities are hands-on, and children are free to explore and study with minimal interruption. Singapore Math is taught in our Kindergarten class and is a comprehensive, activity-based program designed to provide children with a strong foundation. This program aims to equip young children with mathematical thinking skills. Mathematical concepts are developed in systematic, engaging, and fun ways with hands-on tasks, meaningful activities, and attractive illustrations.
- Children are full of questions and are naturally curious. We incorporate Science into our curriculum on a weekly basis. It is important to encourage opportunities to explore and discover the world around them. Some of the things we explore include recycling, animal’s habitats, our environment, and floating and sinking. Our Kindergarten science curriculum focuses on the five senses, trees and wood.
Emotional Development
Staff and child interactions create a sense of consistency and security by:
- Responding sympathetically to help children who are upset, hurt, or angry.
- Praying with and sharing God’s Word with children regularly.
- Responding in a warm, supportive manner.
- Encouraging and guiding children to become independent by promoting self-help skills.
- Respecting children by listening attentively, making eye contact, and treating everyone fairly.
- Recognizing each child’s individual needs.
- Praising accomplishments and efforts.
Physical Development
- Music: We offer children daily opportunities in music to allow for self-expression, listening, exploring, rhythm, sound and following directions.
- Physical Education: We believe in providing a foundation for a healthy lifestyle and provide weekly opportunities for physical education led by a specially certified teacher. Helping children adopt an active lifestyle early-on will have a positive impact on their physical, emotional and intellectual development. We also teach space awareness, balance, rhythm, and gross and fine motor skills. All activities are age-appropriate and are designed to encourage growth. Children should wear sneakers on the day their class has gym.
- Sensory: We provide a multi-sensory approach in our teaching where sensory tables are incorporated and exploration using the five senses is highly encouraged. Providing opportunities with different textures and manipulatives can help strengthen fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. Children often learn better in multi-sensory rooms.
- Blocks: We encourage imagination and positive social interactive play by providing children with blocks, duplos, and legos.
Social Development
- We provide various opportunities for Peer Interaction. It is important to respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we provide opportunities to foster respect and encourage positive relationships. Problem solving skills are also taught to help children deal with conflict.
- Dramatic Play provides children an outlet for their creativity. They have opportunities to play with and without direction. Children learn to play with each other and it is a great way for them to imitate real life.
- Outdoor Play is a very important part of a child’s play. In addition to the importance of fresh air and being outside in general, it is important for children to continue to socialize and problem solve in different settings. The children play outside as long as it is above 32 degrees.
- Art is a regular part of our schedule and we provide a variety of mediums and experiences which helps foster creativity. Children develop self-confidence and decision-making skills when they are allowed opportunities to be creative and determine the outcome of their projects. It is important for children to explore without experience failure. An art teacher comes in to our Kindergarten class to help the children expand their knowledge and encourage their creativity through the world of art.
Spiritual Development
- Morning Circle is the way each class starts their day together, which includes praying and hearing from God’s Word.
- Chapel is a time where we come together as a whole to praise God and learn about Jesus. We meet every Wednesday and Thursday morning and study both the Old and New Testaments.
- Prayer is an important part of the day. We model and practice prayer so the children learn how to talk to God, express concerns, and form a loving relationship.
- Bible Memory takes place each day. The children are exposed to scripture on a daily basis and memorize one Bible verse a month. It is important to not only learn what God says but to keep His Word in our hearts.
- Bible Time not only occurs during Chapel but also in the classroom. Our teachers provide a devotion, activities, and application for that week’s Bible story.