School Readiness is our Specialty

THE TERRIFIC TWO-YEAR-OLD!
The long-term goal of our program at the Child Development Center is to prepare your child for success in kindergarten and beyond as a successful lifelong learner.

Two-year-olds are curious about the world around them. They are busy exploring their environment and learning to communicate their thoughts. While they begin to exert their independence, they are also gaining a better understanding of group play.

Two’s are highly active and interested in objects and people. They’re undergoing rapid development in many areas, and eager for attention to help them learn and understand basic things about how the world works.

CURRICULUM
Our curriculum is designed to support and reinforce the independence your two-year-old exhibits. Listening to stories, singing songs, playing games and doing art projects help develop language and vocabulary skills, as well as movement and sensory motor skills. The Two’s program focuses on developing these skills and readying your child for future school success.

Language and Communication
Children develop a rich vocabulary as they are exposed to a variety of books and literacy materials. Daily read-alouds, songs, word games and conversations enable your child to begin building a solid foundation in language and communication.

Social and Emotional Development
Children build a sense of community as they interact with each other through daily activities, such as games and songs. Our teachers work with your child to develop self-help skills and the ability to negotiate his or her environment independently.

Cognitive Development
Our program offers daily opportunities for children to count, recognize numbers and shapes, and experiment with volume and measurement. Inclusion in daily routines and imaginative playtime gives your child the opportunity to further develop skills in numbers and operation, mathematics, and measurement.

Creative Arts
Children will learn to express themselves as they are introduced to various artistic activities such as dancing, painting and pretend play. Your child will learn about cause-and-effect relationships and self-expression through the arts and music, and will begin to share his or her knowledge in new ways with other children.

Physical Development
Our classrooms and playgrounds are designed so that children can safely explore their environment. By keeping active, your child will improve coordination, build motor skills and discover his or her physical abilities

LEARNING CENTERS
Each day, your two-year-old will engage in various hands-on activities. He’ll explore, inquire and discover solutions working by himself, with a friend or in small groups.Learning Centers are equipped with inviting, age-appropriate learning materials, manipulatives and theme-oriented activities that encourage learning and independence.

• Construction and Design Center – including a complete set of unit blocks; large and small vehicles; animals, people and traffic signs; recyclables such as cardboard boxes, paper towel tubes and oatmeal containers.
• Dramatic Play Center - including dramatic play furniture (materials available depend on the current theme), dishes, utensils, place mats, pots, pans, food sets, telephones, computer keyboards, old typewriters, dressup clothes, purses, wallets, shoes, menus, a cash register, paper, and pencils.
• Writing Center - including children’s journals; pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers; various paper supplies, index cards; recycled magazines (that have been reviewed), menus, books, newspapers, clipboards and notebooks; magnetic letters; and examples of print, including sentence strips with the children’s names on them, properly labeled items and alphabet strips.
• Creativity and Art Center - including painting supplies, pencils, crayons, markers and easels; recyclables such as wallpaper samples, fabric pieces and collage materials; glue and scissors; and various paper supplies.
• Reading and Listening Center – including children’s literature (with the current theme-related literature), magazines, newspapers, song and poem charts; an audiocassette or CD player, headphones, stories recorded on tape and/or other tape-recorded songs; stories and poems; and soft elements such as rugs, pillows and beanbags.
• Math and Manipulatives Center – including calendar, weather and number charts; magnetic numbers, puzzles, games and flash cards; safe manipulatives for sorting (large buttons, stamps, stickers, etc.); paper, pencils, notebooks, index cards; measuring cups and spoons, cookie cutters in varying shapes and other materials used to weigh and measure.
• Science and Sensorial Center - including sand and/or water table; Wonder Bottles (recycled water bottles with water and oil mixed together with small shells, rocks, sand, food coloring, etc.); magnets and magnetic items; feathers, leaves and other items from nature; magnifying glasses and mirrors.

CHILDREN’S ARTWORK
Our teachers love displaying your child’s artwork in the classroom. Public display encourages our budding artists and reminds them that their hard work has meaning and conveys their thoughts and creativity. The teacher will date and label all projects so that you can quickly and easily understand what your child’s thoughts were as she worked on her creation.