Our Curriculum

Curriculum Overview

We offer a safe, healthy, learning environment that is licensed by the State of Michigan. Our curriculum exceeds the Michigan Department of Education preschool standards and grade level content expectations are implemented. Starting in 2019, we adopted the HighScope curriculum. In a HighScope preschool program, teachers ignite children’s interest in learning by creating an environment that encourages them to explore with learning materials and interact with adults and peers. We focus on supporting our early learners as they make decisions, build academic skills, develop socially and emotionally, and become part of a classroom community. Active learning is at the center of the HighScope curriculum. It is the foundation of young children gaining knowledge through their natural play and interactions with the environment, events, and other people.

Adult Child Interaction

Teachers act as partners, working alongside children and communicating with them both verbally and non-verbally to encourage learning. Key strategies for adult-child interactions are sharing control with children; communication as a partner with children; scaffolding children’s play; using encouragement instead of praise; and taking a problem solving approach to supporting children in resolving conflicts.

Learning Environment

To create a predictable and active learning environment, teachers arrange and equip the classroom with diverse, open-ended materials that reflect the children’s homes, culture, and language. The room is organized and labeled to promote independence and encourage children to carry out their intentions.

Daily Routine

A consistent Framework for the day provides a balanced variety of experiences and learning opportunities. Children engage in both individual and social play, participate in small and large group activities, and assist with cleanup, socialize during meals, develop self-care skills, and exercise their small and large muscles. The most important part of the daily routine is the plan-to-do review sequence in which students make decisions about what they will do, carry out their ideas, and reflect upon their activities with adults and other children. These higher-level thinking skills are linked to the development of executive functions, which are needed to be successful in school and life.