Answers to frequently asked questions about the pre-k class at PMFS:
♦ There is one pre-k class at PMFS.
♦ It is a group of 20 children.
♦ The class is a mixed age group of 3 and 4 year olds. A child has to be 3 years old and potty trained by September 1 of the year he or she enters the program. There are no exceptions.
♦ The class has three full-time teachers (one head teacher and two assistants).
♦ The class is open during the school year, September through mid-June.
(See information on the Seedlings program of the PMFS Greenhill Day Camp as a summer care
option available from June through early August.)
♦ Full-time and part-time attendance options are available: 5 full days, 4 full days,
3 full days, 5 half days. (See the website tuition page for the breakdown of costs
for these options.)
♦ The full school day is 8:15am to 3:15pm.
♦ A half day is 8:15am to 11:45am.
♦ All children rest in the afternoon.
♦ Before school care begins at 7:30am. After school care is also available till 6pm through
the school’s extended day program. (Go to the website page on the extended day
program for more information about the program and cost).
The pre-kindergarten program at PMFS is a developmental, play-based program where children learn through structured and unstructured play activities. The pre-k day includes free play in class with blocks, vehicles, dress-up clothes, books, and puzzles; teacher-led and independent art activities with paint, paper, fabric, glue, clay, and more; circle time that includes development of number concept and calendar and teacher-led discussion about stories and classroom themes; nature walks; playground time; rest time; cooking; snack and meal times. During the week pre-k children also have time with PMFS special subject teachers in gym, Spanish, music, and library.
The goal of the program is to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children can be engaged in play that encourages them to use their imaginations, minds, and emotions. In this way children learn about language, friendship, and how the physical world works. They develop cognitive skills, large and small motor coordination, and social skills that build a strong foundation for learning.
Language, literacy, pre-writing, and math are also approached with the age and development of children in mind, as you will see in the following descriptions.
Math in Pre-kindergarten
Mathematics is about relationships and comparisons, as well as symbolic representation of reality, so in
pre-k our job is to help each child develop both the vocabulary and observational skills necessary to building a solid base from which to grow as a mathematician during the school years. We also work on beginning to develop analytical skills.
This happens all the time, every day in almost every activity in which children engage, both self-directed and teacher-directed.
We are constantly measuring, comparing, noticing, evaluating, and describing the world around us.
How many pretzels do you have? Can you make it more without the teacher giving
you any more from the bag? What happens if you eat one? Two?
You both used blue paint, but I see that Sam painted a square and you painted a
circle.
Look, Teacher, Liam and I both found rocks, but his is much bigger and heavier than
mine. I’m glad I don’t have to carry his!
How can you make both sides of the balance be off the table?
Let’s fill all the cups with sand and see if we can use it all up.
Can we roll these wheels down our ramp and see which goes farther across the rug?
And there are always the counts for attendance and table-setting at meal times.
Many of these activities and experiences are thought out and planned ahead of time by the teachers, but many arise spontaneously throughout the time we spend together. We are alert and vigilant to seize the “teachable moment” when we spot it.
We point out differences and equalities in quantity, shape, color or darkness, size, weight, loudness, height, age, frequency, and speed. We help count, combine (add), subtract, share, build divide, estimate, guess, measure, and evaluate. In fact, there are few things that 3 and 4 year olds do in a day that are not helping to lay down a solid foundation for a numerically literate life.
Literacy in pre-kindergarten
In pre-k we work on a variety of language arts skills throughout the day. These include:
expressive and receptive spoken language; pre-writing skills; pre-reading skills -- both phonemic awareness and visual discrimination; listening to and enjoying books and songs;
following a story (focus) and asking relevant questions; awareness of print and its use.
There are six important components of our literacy program, which are constantly on our minds as we plan and carry out our daily activities. They are listed below, with examples of how we incorporate each component.
* Increased vocabulary and language; through informal conversations, songs, rhymes, finger-plays,
learning new words in content area studies or books, reading aloud and listening and talking.
* Phonological awareness; through investigations of beat in words and songs, rhyming games, words
that begin with the same letter, and making up nonsense and silly words.
* Knowledge of print; through using labels in the classroom for clean-up and storage, silent name-
calling, pointing at words in big books when reading.
* Letters and words; using magnetic and foam letters to spell names and words, hanging things on
other children’s hooks using names above hooks, y-e-s means yes and n-o means no.
* Understanding books and other texts; talking about authors and illustrators, putting books away right
side up and frontwards, using signs around the classroom for more than just labeling, seeking books
to answer scientific questions.
* Literacy as a source of enjoyment; having favorite books and asking for re-readings of them, reading
with a friend, reciting, repeating lines (refrains) along with the teacher when listening to a book, writing
(scribbling) own story and then “reading” it to others, asking question about stories we’ve read, using
books to get answers to questions.
Pre-writing in pre-kindergarten
At PMFS we use the Handwriting Without Tears program in grades pre-k through fourth. This program was developed by occupational therapist Jan Z. Olsen. The following list is from the Handwriting Without Tears program for children under five:
Ways to develop good pre-writing skills:
* Strengthen the shoulders, arm, and wrist
* Develop hand skills
* Develop hand-eye coordination
* Develop body awareness and directionality
* Table top activities
* Playing and drawing on vertical surfaces
* Teach new skills
* Provide opportunities for sensory input
* Free-form pre-writing activities
Ways to help with posture and development of an efficient grasp:
* Encourage the development of muscles of the stomach, back, and shoulder
* Lots of hand-strengthening activities
* Lots of experience with fine-motor grasping activities