CLS Preschool Program and Curriculum Plan
At the time of enrollment, parents/guardians are provided with this information and a copy of our Emergency Preparedness Plan as a paper copy. Parents may request a hard or electronic copy at any time upon request.
Our enrollment packet includes many required forms including emergency contact information, health and immunization forms, child’s personal information such as eating, sleeping toileting, and comfort measures. Please inform us of any individual child care program needs your child may have so that we can best provide for them while in attendance in our program. The packet also contains enrollment and tuition agreements, late payment and termination policies, and our program plan.
We are licensed by the MN Department of Human Services to operate a child care center (preschool). The rules and regulations that govern us also include local regulators such as food ordinances, city, fire, and health inspectors. National policies also affect our operation such as OSHA, USDA, ADA, IDA and child care accreditation standards. You may access these rules and regulations via each individual entity. Our license allows for the following:
Program Name: Christ Lutheran Preschool
Licensed to Serve
We are licensed to serve 20 preschoolers. Christ Lutheran requires children to be at least 36 months by September 1st).
Days/Hours of Operation
We are open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We are licensed to operate between the hours of 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Parents may choose from a two, three, or five day/week half-day preschool program running from 9:00-12:00, or from a two, three, or five day/week full-day program running from 9:00-4:00. For an extra cost, parents are also given the option of extended day care. There is an extended day program before school from between 7:00 and 8:45, and after school from 4:00-5:00. (Preschool extended day is separate from our school Cougar Corner program for K-8). We are open according to the Christ Lutheran School calendar, between the months of September and May.
Meals Served
Breakfast will be provided to children in our extended day program who arrive before 8:15 AM. A morning and afternoon snack will be provided, and hot lunch will be provided through our school’s catering service to our full day preschoolers. Hot lunch is included in the tuition fee. On any days that the catering service is not serving lunch, parents will provide a bag lunch for their child.
Supervision
Children are supervised at all times by qualified staff.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is developed with the whole child in mind–physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual.
Our preschool is Christ-centered and planned to be developmentally appropriate.
Our preschool incorporates the Highscope Curriculum into our planning, routines, and assessment.
- We introduce each child to the Bible and to their loving God and Savior, Jesus.
- We express our joy in worshiping God through prayer, music, dramatic play, and sharing joy and love with others.
- We strive to meet the learning goals in the MN Early Learning Standards. These standards were developed by the MN Dept of Education to state the skills and abilities appropriate for early learners.
- Teachers incorporate the High Scope Curriculum, a play-based, active-learning curriculum which plans around these learning standards. Goals in our curriculum regularly promote children’s development physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally, in a manner consistent with the child’s cultural background.
- Our curriculum includes a mixture of child-initiated and teacher-directed activities. Children participate in a mixture of quiet and active learning times.
- Activities and materials are provided that promote cultural diversity, meet the developmental needs of individual children in the classroom, and relate to the interests of the children.
- We introduce readiness in preparation for kindergarten in the child’s growing independence, following directions, strengthening small and large motor skills, asking and answering questions, promoting curiosity, and learning general organizational skills. Within our curriculum, children learn early skills in math, letter recognition and literacy.
Assessment/Evaluation
Children are observed by teachers as they go about their activities during the day. Teachers record their observations in writing in the different developmental areas. We follow the Highscope Curriculum Key Developmental Indicators in the eight areas of: approaches to learning, social and emotional development, physical development, language and literacy, math, creative arts, science, and social studies. We hold a teacher/parent conference with each family in the fall and in the spring. Parents receive a written assessment of their child’s development in these key areas. The assessment is also kept in the child’s record.
Learning Areas
Our classroom is organized into these learning areas:
- Dramatic Play Area–play kitchen area, dolls of different cultures, cash registers, and any special theme we have set up in this area. (This area especially promotes emotional and social development).
- Art and Painting Area–easels are available for the children to use for painting during choice time. Brushes, markers, paper, paint, and water are set up for the children to use. (This area especially promotes creativity, small motor development, and artistic expression).
- Science/ Nature Area–this area is changed frequently. Children may bring in natural materials from outside to study and the teacher will add objects of interest such as seashells, pinecones, magnets, and magnifying glasses. (This area especially promotes curiosity and intellectual development).
- Writing Area–We have shelving where each child has their own cubby containing art supplies of glue, scissors, and markers. On the shelving children can find various kinds of paper, crayons, stencils, and other supplies. (This area especially promotes literacy and small motor development).
- Block Play Area–Our block area has different sizes and shapes of wooden blocks, plastic building materials, and items to enrich play like play animals and cars. (This area especially promotes math, intellectual and social development).
- Sensory Activities Area–We have a sensory table that is filled with different materials throughout the year like corn, rice, and even snow. Children are given tools to encourage their play. (This area especially promotes literacy, social and emotional, and intellectual development).
- Play Areas Outdoors and In–Children have a climber, sand areas, balls, and other rotating equipment in their outdoor play area. On days they play in the gym due to bad weather, they may play with balance beams, basketballs, scooter boards, and other fun large motor equipment. (These areas especially promote physical and large motor development).
- Book Area–This area has a space to read together or alone. It has bookshelves holding the Bible stories and books that we read together in class. Books are included from different cultures. (This area especially promotes literacy, intellectual, and spiritual development).
Daily Schedule
There will be half-day children who stay only until noon. Keep in mind that our schedule is flexible and may change with the needs of the children, but staff will strive to keep it consistent. Handwashing, bathroom, and cleaning up times are built into the schedule.
7:00-8:45 (Extended Care)–Choice Time, Teacher Prepared Activities, Breakfast
8:45-9:15 Arrival and Table Activities
9:15-9:40 Greeting, Numbers and Weather, and Bible Time
9:40-10:20 Outdoor, Large Motor Time
10:20-10:35 Snack
11:15-11:25 Choice Time
11:25-11:40 Letter, Science, and Math Activities, Library
11:40-12:00 Story and Music Time
Noon–Dismissal of Half-Day Children
12:00-12:40 Lunch
12:40-1:00 Nap Preparation and Reading
1:00-1:45 Nap/Rest Time, Quiet Table Activities
1:45-2:30 Gym or Outdoor Time
2:30-2:45 Snack
2:45-3:30 Choice Time, Enrichment Activities
3:30-4:00 Clean up, Parent Pick Up
4:00-5:30–(Extended Care) Outside Time, Choice Time, Teacher
Prepared Activities
Chapel and Library Visits
Friday mornings we join the K-8 classrooms in a school wide chapel service in church.
One morning a week we visit our school library. Parents and grandparents are invited to come in and read to the children at these special times.
