Our Program Philosophy
Many parents and caregivers ask, “Will my child be ready for Kindergarten?” or “What are they really learning at preschool?” To the casual observer, a peek into a classroom might appear, on the surface, that the children are “just playing” and that our classrooms have a lot of bustle and noise, but there’s a lot of important learning going on during each part of the day.
Daily Curriculum and Activities:
Children are actively participating in all sorts of activities, from talking and playing to exploring materials. Research and experience tell us that, to be effective with young children, teaching practices need to be developmentally appropriate. What this means is simply that educators need to think first about what young children are like, and then create an environment and experiences that are in tune with their characteristics. Early childhood, after all, is a time of life quite different from adulthood, and even from the later school years. Children ages 3-6 learn far better through direct, interactive experiences than by just listening to someone talk. They learn extraordinary amounts through play and exploration. The younger the children are, the more of what they learn needs to be relevant and interesting on the day they learn it, not just in the context of some future learning.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Based on our knowledge of children this age, we have designed our program for them. At Green Meadows, we offer children the opportunity to develop and learn at their own pace. Some children learn best by auditory means, some by touch (hands-on), some by visual means, and some need all three. By making all learning methods available to each child, they can succeed and learn in ways appropriate to them, enabling them to move on to the next stage in their social, emotional, and physical development.
A typical school day at Green Meadows starts off with the children entering. the classroom and being encouraged to play in the different areas called “Learning Centers.” To further enhance your child's ability to learn through play, we have carefully and methodically arranged our rooms to incorporate the following Learning Centers: Block Area, Dramatic Play Area, Library Center, Art Area, Small and Large Manipulative Area, and Science and Nature Area. Each area offers a unique and necessary learning experience, some examples of which are: math (measuring and pouring) at the sand/water tables; developing language, sharing ideas, and turn-taking in the dramatic play and block areas; and shaping playdough, stringing beads, and making puzzles (offered in the small manipulative area) develop small muscles needed in order to hold a pencil properly and eventually print letters.
Age Groups
We have a rich and stimulating curriculum that has been uniquely developed for each of our three age groups: three-year-olds, transitional-age, and pre-kindergarten. Each age group has a separate, age-appropriate curriculum, activities, and projects. Teaching methods and expectations differ by age group. Each one has been developed to incorporate the abilities for that developmental stage of the child or class. All classes share many of the same themes(colors, shapes, feelings, letters, and numbers, etc.). However, transitional and pre-kindergarten classes will take things a little further by focusing more deeply on name recognition, the alphabet, and number recognition.
Our goal at Green Meadows is to help children develop social skills, listen and follow directions, complete simple tasks, refine both small and large motor skills, encourage language and communication skills, become more independent, and gain self-confidence. We follow the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences established by the MA Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and work to create a safe, developmentally appropriate program that meets the needs of the children and families we serve.
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