The early childhood years are a time for inquiry, exploration, and discovery. Therefore, in the Pre-Kindergarten classroom, the students will work and play in ways that foster connections to the world around them. At the same time, they will learn to interact cooperatively with others, resolve conflicts, care for classroom materials, and make choices. These opportunities will help them become more respectful, responsible and independent. Each individual student's interests are used as steppingstones to more learning, and the students are kept motivated by providing a variety of whole group, small group, and individual activities to foster social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. To enhance their learning within the classroom, they also work with resource teachers as they participate in music, physical education, library and instruction time. Because the focus in the Pre-Kindergarten classroom will be on the development of the whole child; and the teachers respect, value, and accept children with different learning styles and abilities, the following list of things are typically seen on any given day at The Calverton School:

The classroom is decorated with children's original work, their own writing, and dictated words/stories, as well as things that interest the students and teachers.

Curriculum is developed and adapted for each individual student since they come from different backgrounds and have had various prior experiences. We foster higher level thinking at each student's ability level.

Teachers will be reading books to the children— not just to the entire class, but also to small groups or individual children.

Children will be playing and working with materials or other children. They will not be wandering around a room without a purpose.

Children will have access to various activities throughout the day, such as block building; pretend play; books, paper, crayons, paints and other art/writing materials; toys such as Legos and puzzles; sand/water table; music; science objects; and computers. Children will not all be doing the same things at the same time all day long.

Teachers will be working with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend time only with the entire group.

Children will be learning about letters and numbers in the context of their everyday experiences within the classroom. The emphasis will be on exposure, not mastery.

Children will be working on projects and have long periods of time to play and explore. Their artwork will not be crafted to look exactly alike. They do their own cutting, drawing, and coloring. Filling out worksheets will not be their primary activity, although sometimes papers reinforce specific skills or concepts they're working on.

Children will have an opportunity to play outside every day that weather permits. This play is important work time as they continue to learn to interact with others and grow physically.

Children are happy. They enjoy what they are experiencing, and when asked, they say they like coming to school.

[source: adapted from NAEYC]