The School is a Christian Preschool and Kindergarten, part of the community outreach and education program of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Lionville, PA intended to provide a creative early learning experience with emphasis on Christian values. The Kindergarten is registered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Philosophy

We feel that a child's first school experience is vitally important in shaping a child's approach and attitude toward learning and future school situations. It is also a time when the concepts of morals and personal rights are first being formed. Most important, a positive self-image, a sense of autonomy and high self-esteem need to be formed and nurtured. Our school will be a place where growth and development in these areas can be promoted through activities designed to encourage creativity, discovery, and self-expression. Christian morals and values will be emphasized and demonstrated in all areas. We will not be including Bible study in the program. However, we will approach Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays. The curriculum will include classroom activities and projects designed to stimulate the children in the following areas:

Emotional Growth

• by promoting high self-esteem and a positive self-image
• by developing self confidence and a sense of accomplishment
• by encouraging self control and the ability to face fears
• by encouraging children to feel warmth and security in the school situation and to learn to function independently from their parents.

Social Growth and Interaction

• by encouraging the children to treat their peers with kindness, cooperation, forgiveness, and generosity
• by giving the children the opportunity to work with others and to be an integral part of a group

Intellectual Growth

• by encouraging the children to think for themselves
• by helping to develop language and listening skills
• by developing perseverance in completing tasks and helping children to broaden attention spans by encouraging the children to make their own discoveries through exploration and experimentation

Physical Growth and Development

• by providing outdoor and indoor movement activities to develop gross motor skills
• by providing manipulative materials and activities to develop and refine fine motor skills

Self-Expression

• Language, art, music, and physical activities will provide the children with the opportunity to explore, experiment, and express their ideas and feelings about themselves and their world. Individual expression and activity will be encouraged.

Units of Study

The following are several units of study which may be included into your child's classroom activities. In these units of study, color, number, letter, and shape concepts will be incorporated at appropriate skill levels.

• Great Beginnings programs are structured to give children age-appropriate experiences through a variety of units.
• Children will be exposed to a range of topics intended to stimulate their interest in the world around them.
• Units are reinforced by a wide variety of art, music, and literature experiences. Individual creativity and freedom of expression will be encouraged at all times.
• Indoor and outdoor physical activities are designed to promote the development of large motor skills.
• Cooking activities are related to the units. Children prepare their snack once a week in our kitchen. The snacks are provided by the school for the remainder of the week.

  2-1/2 & 3 Year Old	One Day Program
  Bear Fun	I'm Special
  Transportation	Friendship
  Halloween	Valentine's Day
  Farm Animals	Noah and the Animals
  Harvest/Thanksgiving	Signs of Spring
  Christmas	Easter
  Beach Creatures	Summer Fun
  3 Year Old	Two Day Program & Enrichment
  Teddy Bear Day	Birds/Valentine's Day
  Five Senses	Friendship & Families Unit
  Pets, Farm & Wild Animals	Transportation
  Halloween	Construction
  Indians & Pilgrims	Easter
  Thanksgiving	Insects
  Christmas	Camping Week
  Creatures of the Sea	Safety Week
  Young 4 Year Old	Three Day Program
  Zoo Animals	Valentine's Day
  Farms and Ranches	Transportation
  Halloween	Clowns
  Indians & Pilgrims	Unusual Animals/Meadows
  Thanksgiving	Easter
  Christmas	Weather
  Sea Life	Camping Week
  Winter Fun	Safety Week
  4 Year Old	Three Day Program
  Insects	Marine Life
  Forest Animals	Valentine's Day/Friendship
  Autumn Activities	Fantasy
  Halloween	Easter
  Indians & Pilgrims	Camping & Sports
  Thanksgiving	Safety
  Christmas	Alphabet Activities
  4-1/2 & 5 Year Old	Three Day Plus and Four Day Programs
  Life in a Pond	Oceanography
  Spiders and Insects	Valentine's Day
  Animals of the Night	Birds
  Halloween	Nutrition
  Indians & Pilgrims	Planets and Space
  Thanksgiving	Easter
  Christmas & German	Alphabet Soup

  
  

  Christian Values and Character Curriculum
  

  The following Christian values and character traits will be highlighted on a monthly basis and emphasized throughout the year: Fairness & Sharing, Orderliness & Obedience, Thankfulness & Prayer, Birth of Jesus, Righteousness & Goodness, Love & Caring, Trustworthiness & Honesty, Easter, Creation, Responsibility, Honor, Respect & Citizenship.

  Special Activities
  

  Kinderspiel - an aerobic physical activity program offered several times a month to Two Day, Young 4, Three Day, Three Day Plus and Four Day classes as well as Kindergarten classes.
  
  Kindertones - a separate music program emphasizing various types of music and rhythms to Young 4, Three Day, Three Day Plus and Four Day and Kindergarten programs. The classes participate one or more times each month in this program.
  
  Kindernature - a nature program focusing on interesting and unusual animal and plant life presented in a hands-on format. It is offered once a month to Two Day, Three Day, Three Day Plus, Four Day and Kindergarten classes.
  
  Kinderbooks - a library program emphasizing collections of children's literature by exceptional authors and illustrators. Kindergarten, Young 4, Three Day, Three Day Plus and Four Day classes take part in this program regularly each month.
  
  Kinderart - a separate art program focusing on famous artists and art techniques. It is offered to the Kindergarten program several times each month and the Four Day and Three Day Plus four times throughout the year.
  
  Kindertech - a separate computer learning program emphasizing basic computer skills. It is offered in small group sessions to Three Day, Three Day Plus, Four Day and Kindergarten classes.
  
  

  Field Trips and Special Visitors
  

  Several field trips will be scheduled throughout the school year. Special visitors such as community workers, animal specialists and puppeteers will be invited to the school. Holiday observances such as a Thanksgiving Feast will also be held. These events will all be covered by the annual activity fee.
  

  Sample of a Typical Preschool Daily Schedule
  One Day Program

  30 minutes	Free Play
  15 minutes	Circle Time
  30 minutes	Craft
  15 minutes	Snack/Cooking Experience
  15 minutes	Outdoor or Indoor Physical Activity
  15 minutes	Story Time

  Two Day Program & Enrichment

  20 minutes	Free Play
  15 minutes	Circle Time
  20 minutes	Cooking or Music Experience
  20 minutes	Outdoor or Indoor Physical Activity
  15 minutes	Snack
  60 minutes	Learning Centers/Crafts/Storytime

  Young 4 and Three Day Programs

  20 minutes	Free Play
  20 minutes	Circle Time
  60 minutes	Craft/Centers and Special Activities
  15 minutes	Snack
  20 minutes	Outdoor and Indoor Physical Activity
  15 minutes	Quiet Time/Storytime

  Three Day Plus and Four Day Programs

  Three Day Plus Program		Four Day Program
  30 minutes	Discovery Time/Learning Centers/Special Activities	50 minutes
  20 minutes	Circle Time	20 minutes
  20 minutes	Outdoor and Indoor Physical Activity	20 minutes
  15 minutes	Snack	15 minutes
  60 minutes	Small Group Activities/Craft Activities	15 minutes
  10 minutes	Storytime	10 minutes
  20 minutes	Special Activities	20 minutes

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