Curriculum

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 (depending on age of child). 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. 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 (33 months and older) and school age children up to age 12 years, not to exceed 12 school age children. (Our combination license allows us to combine preschoolers and school agers in our before and after care programs).

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. K-Grade 5 students from our school may be combined with the preschoolers in the extended care hours in the preschool classroom and playground. We are open according to the Christ Lutheran School calendar, between the months of August and May.

Meals Served

Breakfast will be provided for all half and full day students at arrival. Lunch and afternoon snacks are provided to all full day students. (Hot lunch is provided by CKC Good Food. This is our caterer also for K-8 lunch. Breakfast and snacks are provided by Christ Lutheran School). All preschool meals and snacks are provided through tuition without extra charge.

Supervision

Children will be supervised at all times by qualified staff members, within state ratio.

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 do this by daily Bible stories, songs, activities, and prayer.
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, 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

Preschoolers 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. This 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).
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).
Art and Writing Area– We have an area where each child has their own cubby for artwork or writing in progress. On the shelving preschool and school age children can find various kinds of paper, crayons, markers, stencils, scissors, glue, envelopes, and other supplies. At times watercolor and/or tempera paint and supplies are also available for the children to use. (This area especially promotes creativity, 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, sensory dough, 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 and Quiet 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. Puzzles, rainsticks, and other calming items are also found in this area. (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.

7:00-8:45 (Extended Care for Combined Preschool and School agers)–Choice Time, Teacher Led Activities
8:45–School Agers Go to Their Own Classrooms
8:45-9:15–Preschool Arrival, Bathroom, Breakfast, Books and Puzzles
9:15-9:40–Greeting, Weather, and Bible Time (Fridays after Christmas-chapel)
9:40-10:20–Outdoor, Large Motor Time
10:20-10:30– Bathroom and Handwashing
10:30-10:50–Calendar, Number, and Letter, Table Time activities (transitions to Choice Time)
10:50-11:30–Choice Time, small snack optional and available
11:30-11:45–Special Activity (Library, Science, Game)
11:45-Noon–Music and Story
Noon– Dismissal of Half-Day Children
12:00-12:40 Bathroom and Handwashing, Lunch
12:40-1:00 Nap Preparation and Reading
1:00-2:00–Nap/Rest Time, Quiet Table Activities
2:00-2:30–Gym, Large Motor Time
2:30-2:45–Afternoon Snack
2:45-3:25–Outside (inside Choice in bad weather)
3:30-4:00– Pick Up Time Frame–Clean Up and Read Books
4:00–Extended Care Begins for Combined Preschoolers and School Agers
4:00-5:00–(Extended Care) Outside Time, Choice Time, Teacher Prepared Activities
5:00 Close

Field Trips

Field Trips will be taken weekly to the school library. We invite parents, grandparents, or other special grown-ups to read. We may take a couple field trips during the year using our school owned bus. Parents will receive permission forms with dates, times, and all information before the field trip occurs. After Christmas children will go to chapel weekly on Fridays with the K-8 school. Children will have chapel buddies from an upper grade. Preschool teachers and staff will always be with the children and their “buddies.”

Program Development

This program plan must be developed and evaluated annually in writing by a staff person qualified as a teacher.

Program last adapted June 27, 2023 by Lynette Olson