The curriculum is not just the goals of the program and the planned activities but also the daily schedule, the availability and use of materials, transitions between activities, and the way in which routine tasks of living are implemented. Criteria for curriculum implantation reflect the knowledge that young children learn through active manipulation of the environment and concrete experiences which contribute to concept development.

The curriculum encourages children to be actively involved in the learning process, to experience a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials, and to pursue their own interest in the context of life in the community and the world.

Long range and short range goals: The curriculum is planned to reflect the program’s philosophy and goals for children. The curriculum goals are based on individual assessment of each child’s needs.

General goals include:

• Foster positive self concept.
• Develop social skills.
• Encourage children to think, reason, question, and experiment.
• Encourage language development.
• Enhance cognitive skills
• Enhance physical development and skills.
• Encourage and demonstrate sound health and safety.
• Encourage creative expression and appreciation for the arts.
• Respect cultural diversity of staff and children.

Staff provides materials and time for children to select their own activities during the day. Children may choose from among several activities which the teacher has planned for the children to initiate. Staff respects the child’s right to choose not to participate at times.

Staff conducts smooth and non-regimented transitions between activities. Children are not always required to move from one activity to another as a group. Transitions are planned as a vehicle for learning.

Routine tasks are incorporated into the program as a means of furthering children’s learning, self-help, and social skills.

How Children Learn:

Young children learn by doing. Learning is a complex process that results from the interaction of children’s own thinking and their experiences in the external world. Maturation is an important contributor to learning because it provides a framework for which children’s learning proceeds. As children get older, they acquire new skills and experiences that facilitate the learning process. For example, as children grow physically, they are more able to manipulate and explore their own environment. Also, as children mature, they are more able to understand the point of view of other people.

Knowledge is not something that is given to children as though they were empty vessels to be filled. Children acquire knowledge about the physical and social world in which they live through playful interaction with objects and people. Children do not need to be forced to learn; they are motivated by their own desire to make sense of their world.

Staff encourages learning not by lecturing and verbally giving instructions but by taking the role of a guide or facilitator. They prepare the environment so that it provides stimulating, challenging materials and activities for children. Then, teachers closely observe to see what children understand and pose additional challenges to push their learning further.

Staff arranges the environment to encourage meaningful experiences which promote learning for young children. If the learning is relevant for children, they are more likely to persist with a task and to be motivated to learn more.