Smart Start Academy
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Child Development
You used to do everything for them. Now they're doing so much for themselves. Should they be doing even more? Are they hitting the same developmental milestones as other kids their age? Get answers to these and other child development questions, right here.
Pre-K Program Focus Areas
Math Concepts: Our math program focuses on concepts such as measuring, predicting, patterns, spatial relationships, sorting and problem solving.
Science Concepts: Students are encouraged to recognize and investigate cause-and-effect relationships in everyday experiences.
Creative Art: Through our creative art program, our students develop an appreciation for dance, art, music, dramatic play, storytelling and visual arts.
Health & Wellness: Our health and wellness program highlights the importance of healthy nutrition and daily physical activity while also teaching our students safety and injury prevention skills. Through a series of fun, heart accelerating activities, our students learn the benefits of staying active in order to promote healthy lifelong behaviors.
Social Emotional: Students show care and concern for others. Develop healthy relationships with teachers and peers and learn how to express their feelings, needs and wants in a healthy and respectful manner.
Physical Skills/ Gross/Fine Motor: Students build on eye-hand coordination to use everyday tools. Through this process, students learn how to manipulate a variety of tools including eating utensils, pencils, scissors, blocks, etc. Students also develop motor coordination and skill using objects for a range of physical activities.
Language and Foreign Languages: Through conversation, storytelling, and technology, students develop an understanding of spoken language and world languages. Students are exposed to all forms of communication including English, sign language and world languages in order to enhance comprehension and communication skills.
Baby Sign Language
One of the most popular things that we provide to this age group is
teaching baby sign language.
Between the ages of 8 months and 2 years of
age, children begin communicating with others. Giving your child the
means to communicate has been shown to help ease the frustration of the
infant as well as the parent. We teach simple signs that have been
adapted from American Sign Language that can help your child communicate
a few months earlier than other children their age.
Other children who benefit from learning sign language are those who are experiencing a communication delay, have a communication disorder, or show signs of autism. These are not uncommon in children and some families have found that learning sign language can help them to start communicating. It seems that some children just become comfortable pointing for the things that they need, so they find no reason to learn to vocalize their wants and needs.
Of course, these signs are no good to you as a parent if you do not know what they are and can’t use them at home. We work with parents to teach them all the signs that infants learn here along with how to support the learning and communicate with their child when they are at home.
Other children who benefit from learning sign language are those who are experiencing a communication delay, have a communication disorder, or show signs of autism. These are not uncommon in children and some families have found that learning sign language can help them to start communicating. It seems that some children just become comfortable pointing for the things that they need, so they find no reason to learn to vocalize their wants and needs.
Of course, these signs are no good to you as a parent if you do not know what they are and can’t use them at home. We work with parents to teach them all the signs that infants learn here along with how to support the learning and communicate with their child when they are at home.
Open House
We welcome you to register to join us at Smart Start Academy's Open House events. Meet our teachers and tour! Smart Start Academy values and takes great pride in
their educators. Our teachers are carefully selected based on their
education, teaching experience and their passion for teaching. All of
our lead teachers must meet or exceed the qualifications set forth by
the DCF, in addition to completing extensive training and orientation
classes at S.S.A.Smart Start Academy is dedicated to bringing the best environment for learning and creativity to each student. Our full day programs have a curriculum that works to meet every learning style in a way to that nurtures every aspect of a child- the physical, emotional, intellectual and social.
Ready to enroll your child at Smart Start Academy?
At Smart Start Academy, we encourage a toddler’s natural curiosity.
Teachers bring a well rounded approach to the curriculum so that
students can receive an education that helps them develop their minds. There are a lot of different approaches to a child’s education, but our theory is that we are here to help each toddler learn in their most natural environment. This means that we incorporate the learning into fun, engaging ways that often looks and feels like play.
Monthly Themes
Every month, our toddler school focuses on a theme. Each one is picked to help focus on a different need of children in this age range- enhancing self-expression, peer interaction, or sensory awareness. These themes help children learn about themselves and the world around them.
One of the most difficult frustrations for toddlers, and often the root cause for tantrums, is that they have a hard time figuring out what they are feeling, what they need, and how to express all of it. Many toddlers don’t even have the language skills required to express their feelings. Our monthly themes work to teach these to our students by incorporating them into lessons and play for the entire month. This way, there is ample time to teach the students each aspect.
Monthly themes are very important to our toddler curriculum. Focusing on these different areas helps to lower frustration levels for the child, increase independence, and make communication between parents and their child a better experience. It can also help increase the level of understanding for the student in other areas of learning by meeting their base needs.
Our Curriculum
Toddlers learn best through discovery and experiencing things themselves. Most toddlers have a hard time sitting still for long amounts of time or paying attention in large groups. They like to play and learn in ways that are different from any other age. The material is very basic and often involves learning about the world around them.
Teachers design their lesson plans to meet these requirements. Students of all ages are more likely to remember and process information when they are meaningful to them on an individual level. For this reason, our teachers work to ensure that each child is engaged in the learning process when they are best ready for it. This is done through child-initiated and teacher-directed lessons. This way, the student is actually involved and in charge of their own learning experience, making it meaningful to them.
Our Goals
The most important goal we have in our school for toddlers is to help each student experience meaningful and lifelong learning experiences. Rather than making our students conform to one way of learning or only learning in the classroom, we work hard to promote active thinking and exploring how things work. Our highly trained teachers facilitate purposeful play and intentional teaching practices.
We work to ensure that each student who leaves our daycare for toddlers has a great foundation for learning that will last their entire life. When a child starts off on the right foot, it can help them enter into the later educational programs with more excitement and understanding. These two factors have a lot of influence on how successful a student is in the learning process now and in the future.
We know that parents expect more from a daycare than just simply taking care of their child’s basic needs. We want to instill a love of learning, improving life skills, and a desire to be self aware in each of our students. Our toddler program works to make life easier for the student and their parents. We work hard to ensure we are giving the best quality of experiences to your toddler so that you know they are getting everything that they need during their formative years.
Do you know about our ABC's of preschool?
Parents feel the pull of heartstrings as they watch their children grow and one of the major milestones is the moment they are old enough to attend preschool. This is the first step to guiding them down the path of education until the day they pack their suitcase and head off to college. But, often parents drop their little ones off at preschool without knowing what it is that they will be doing all day. Blind faith can sometimes equal days of television and unhealthy snacks.
At Smart Start Academy, we want you to understand what your child will be doing, learning, and growing from each and every day within our classrooms. From the first wondrous moments of emotional, social, physical, and intellectual development to the day they graduate and walk out our doors a little bit taller, with a happy and bright mind, and with each of their unique talents nurtured and encouraged.
We know that all parents want their child to have a strong start in life, and preschool provides the foundation for a successful future in education. At Smart Start Academy we will help them develop excellent learning habits, problem solving skills, and build positive self-worth and self-esteem. Our caring and incredibly intelligent staff will teach your child the skills they need to successfully navigate the world throughout their lifetime.
Everything About Thanksgiving Day
Celebrate on: Fourth Thursday in November
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends.
The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast.
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends.
The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast.
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