Somerset ECC – Kindergarten Enrichment
Program Description
Program Description
Somerset’s Kindergarten Enrichment program is based on the same foundational principles that underlie all of our programs. First, children must feel safe, secure and comfortable. They must feel valued and unique. Second, the curriculum must be comprehensive (ie. address the needs of the whole child, not just the academic objectives), must be clearly related to future academic requirements, and be individualized. Third, the teachers must be knowledgeable and experienced with their classroom’s age group, skilled in systematic observation, and effective in using their observations of individual childrens’ strengths, interests, and growth areas to plan and carry out curriculum related activities in a way that engages the children’s curiosity, prior knowledge and creativity. And fourth, the teachers must be able to communicate with parents in a manner which clearly demonstrates a desire to work collaboratively for the best interests of each child.
A child’s Kindergarten year is particularly important because a successful Kindergarten experience communicates to children that school is a place where they feel successful, capable, and excited about the world of opportunities for learning that they are entering. When children enter first grade with a positive Kindergarten experience behind them, our schools can carry them forward with a focus on what they CAN do rather than on what they cannot.
We are most fortunate to have a wonderful teacher for our Enrichment program, Miss Jan (Donaldson). She has many years of experience teaching Kindergarten in the public schools. She knows what the children need, and she has endless strategies for helping them prepare for their future academic success. (For information about Miss Jan, go to Staff Information.
Our Enrichment program is designed for the young five. A child may be considered young either chronologically, ie. the child does not meet the age criterion for entry to Kindergarten, or developmentally, ie. for one reason or another the child’s parents and previous teachers feel that the child would benefit from more time and academic or social experiences before entering Kindergarten.
In our Enrichment program, children will have academic experiences that are very similar to those that they would experience in a regular Kindergarten classroom. The primary differences between our Enrichment program and a regular Kindergarten classroom are that there are many fewer children in our program, that we can proceed at the pace dictated by the children’s readiness, and that there is still time for PLAY! With a much lower teacher to child ratio, the teacher can address the reality that each child’s needs are unique. This means that each child is challenged at his or her individual level, and moves forward from one success to the next at a pace that is appropriate for each child. There is no failure. There is time to develop deep understanding. And play has an important role in developing deep understanding, as children have time to try out (apply) new skills and ideas in their own ways, which helps them understand the usefulness of their learning and provides an incentive for learning more. At the end of the Enrichment year, all of our children have had successful experiences with exactly the kinds of activities they will meet again in Kindergarten. Of course, they will each be at different levels, in fact, those who are age eligible, may even go on to First Grade. Wherever they go next, they have a solid foundation for future success.
For Somerset’s Kindergarten Enrichment Daily Schedule, go to http://www.somersetrochester.org/curriculum/