PRESCHOOL GUIDELINES

Diocese of Covington, Kentucky 1999

GOALS OF THE PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

If the overall purpose of education is to foster competence in all aspects of life as a Christian, then, curriculum must provide opportunities for total learning. This is accomplished when the teacher considers the five areas of children's development- spiritual, emotional, social, physical, intellectual and creative. The overall goals of the curriculum will be to meet the needs of the children in each of these areas and at the same time keep the whole child in mind. The following are broad goals for your early childhood program.

Through the activities in the early childhood curriculum, children will:

1.         Grow spiritually so as to

-develop a sense of trust

-realize their need for God's love

-know Jesus as a Friend

-respond to God's love

-feel secure in God's love and care

-see themselves as God's children

2.         Grow emotionally so as to

-develop a positive self-concept

-be free to risk failure and be comfortable with mistakes

-develop a sense of security and trust

-show independence and self-responsibility

-channel emotions into appropriate and acceptable outlets

3.            Grow socially so as to

-learn to play, work and communicate with peers and adults

-adjust to group situations

-accept others even though they may be different from self

-develop a sense of community

-accept change in environment and routines

4.         Grow physically so as to

-develop gross and fine motor coordination

-develop eye-hand and eye-foot coordination

-become aware one's own body

5.         Grow intellectually so as to

-continue to develop language use and understanding

-develop pre-reading skills such as:

visual discrimination

understanding of some symbols
auditory discrimination

                        love of and interest in books

-develop an ever-increasing attention span -complete tasks begun

-initiate personal activities

-follow two and three step directions

6.         Grow Creatively so as to

-view one's self as a unique individual created and valued by God

            -express ideas in a personal and unique way

            -be free to create artistically, using a variety of media

            -develop one's God-given talents and abilities

CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK  FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PROGRAM

BASIC ELEMENTS

The following four areas are the basis to any to "developmentally appropriate" program. Each of these basic elements must be addressed and intentionally included in an early childhood program in order to meet the needs of young children.

AGE APPROPRIATENESS

Developmentally appropriate programs provide a learning environment and appropriate experiences based on knowledge of typical development of children within the age span that are served.

Research indicates that in their first 9 years, children develop and progress through universal stages and predictable sequences of growth and change.

Research indicates that children can progress within an age of plus or minus 2 years of chronological age and be considered "typically developing"

INDIVIDUAL APPROPRIATENESS

Each child is a unique person with an individual pattern and timing of growth. Children who are developing typically move through universal stages at their own individual patterns, rates, and style of growth.

Children who are developing with unique needs and abilities will be offered experiences and environments that match their appropriate developmental abilities.

Developmentally appropriate programs are responsive to and honor a child's individual uniqueness and differences such as personality, learning style, ways of being intelligent, family background, and cultural heritage.

·        Creating center-based learning environments is an effective teaching strategy

·        Provide stimulating multi-sensory learning experiences

·        Provide culturally sensitive materials that reflect the child's background and lifestyle while also introducing materials and experiences that are culturally diverse and unfamiliar

COMPONENTS OF THE CURRICULUM

A good preschool program promotes the spiritual, emotional,' intellectual, physical, creative and social growth of young children. The curriculum should not be centered on very specific subject areas, but rather it should be developed using a "hands-on" approach to learning in general. Multi-sensory activities that enhance the total development of the child are planned in a sequential manner that follows a theme or is part of a unit.

LANGUAGE is the development of communication skills that enable a child to share his world with others. At the preschool level, these skills include listening, speaking and thinking. Transferring thoughts into words is the primary skill upon which future language development is based. Learning experiences that promote an understanding of the sense of self, help the child express his/her thoughts and feelings in various ways.

An awareness of the five senses will stimulate a child's curiosity as to the different ways his/her body receives information about life in one's environment. Visual discrimination and memory I and auditory discrimination and memory are important readiness skills that can be taught through play activities. Listening to and sharing stories, poetry and finger plays enhance the love of language. An awareness of the written word is developed through alphabet activities and writing classroom stories about field trips, events, etc.

MATH READINESS at the preschool level involves the development of cognitive skills. Piaget calls the way in which a child perceives the relationship between two objects "Iogico-mathematical knowledge".  This knowledge comes from the understanding of colors; shapes; quantitative concepts, such as size differences; basic counting skills through practical application; classifying; forming sets and recognizing numerals.

These concepts are taught through manipulatives and play experiences.
Worksheets have no place in a creschool curriculum.

MOTOR SKILLS are a vital part of the young child's development and are crucial to the learning skills one needs in the future. The preschool child learns with his/her body. These motor skills are not to be overlooked in favor of cognitive skills.


Gross Motor: Body coordination, as appropriate to the child's physical development, is enhanced through large muscle activities of walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping. Arm-eye coordination is attained by throwing a large ball or beanbag, catching, aiming at a target. Rhythm and movement provide an outlet of creative expression and the joy of using the body in dance, games and organized play.

Fine Motor: Eye hand coordination is developed through manipulating clay, stringing beads, hammering, pasting, crayoning, painting, pouring, lacing and using scissors. Dexterity and strength of the small muscles are developing skills that enhance reading readiness. Use of the natural hand preference is observed and encouraged, although hand dominance is not achieved vet.  Eye tracking is another fine motor activity that promotes the left-to-right progression skill required for reading readiness.

PERSONAL-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT is the primary goal for the young child entering preschool. A positive self-concept is essential to successful learning. The more a child understands, the better equipped he/she is to relate to other children and adults. Basic social interaction: between two children; the teacher and a child, and group interaction provide ways in which the child establishes autonomy and learns skills to help relate to one's world.

Personal development includes knowing name and age, eventually learning address, phone number and birth date; caring for toileting needs and washing hands; separating from parents with relative ease, caring for own belongings and respecting others.

Social development includes cooperative play, sharing, following directions, initiating conversations and play situations with peers; entering into group activities; developing a positive relationship with teachers, caring about others.

ART at the preschool level should be a joyful, creative experience full of self- expression. Teacher-made samples should only be used, if necessary at all, to give specific help to a child who needs it and never as an example of what a child's finished product should like. Creative art activities will come from use of manipulatives that develop fine motor skills: clay, paint, paste, and crayons. Also, sand and water play are excellent activities that encourage multi-sensory learning.

MUSIC is a channel for creative expression in two ways: The manner in which sounds are communicated by the music-maker and the emotional and physical response that sound evokes from the listener. Singing; listening to music; using rhythm instruments and making instruments; dancing and other rhythmic activities are ways of developing a love and appreciation for music.

PLAY is a child's work. The value of free play indoors and outdoors cannot be overstated. Opportunities for play should occur as the child enters the classroom at the beginning of the session, after structured learning activities and outdoor play should be part of the daily schedule, whenever the weather is appropriate.

EARLY CHILDHOOD RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

RELIGION READINESS is an integral part of the Catholic Preschool Program. It is the preparation time for more formal instruction in the years ahead. Religious readiness is the development of a positive self-image in relationship to a loving God. This basis for a deep love of God comes from the examples set by the family and spiritual life of the parish community.

Initially a child's sense of God comes from the warm atmosphere of love and acceptance in the home among the child's family. The preschool environment, an extension of the home, is another place where the child learns about God's wonderful world. Classroom prayer and Para liturgies are preparations for future participation in the celebrations of the Church.

Prayer

Preschool children learn how to be silent and are introduced to the traditional prayer posture of kneeling with hands folded. The children take part in a variety of prayer experiences to help them respond to God including:

·        vocal prayer

·        spontaneous prayer

·        psalm responses

·        litanies

·        silent prayer of the heart

·        song
 

·        celebration

Liturgical Life

The Directory for Masses with Children asserts that certain values provide a foundation for celebrating the Eucharist. The preschool program initiates children into the liturgy by:

·        familiarizing them with the church building and objects teaching them that they may ask for and receive forgiveness

·        leading them to participate in celebrations

·        helping them to experience a sense of mystery and of the sacred

·        teaching them reverent church behavior

·        introducing them to some special feasts

·        the Covington Diocesan Preschool teacher is referred to the Kentucky State-wide Religious Education Guidelines for the Early Childhood level. (Check with your principal.)

Morality

The preschool years are a crucial time for building attitudes and dispositions upon which a good Christian moral life can develop. The foundation for good decision-making is also laid in a child's early years. The preschool program also fosters the awakening of a Christian conscience in the children by leading them to:

·        appreciate God's goodness and personal love for them

·        sense that they are loved by important people in their lives

·        know how to express sorrow by saying "I'm sorry"

·        respect all people and all forms of life

·        value God's world and care for it

·        develop self-discipline and form good habits

·        desire to share with those in need

Social Justice and Service

In the preschool program the children engage in activities that nurture kindness, honesty, forgiveness, and concern for others. Some of these activities are:

·        discussing and role-playing how kindness, forgiveness, and concern for others can be shown in everyday lives

·        listening to stories of saints who have shown concern for others and for God's world

·        engaging in music and art activities that promote a spirit of sharing and caring for others

TECHNOLOGY

Even though the word technology refers primarily to computer technology, it can be expanded to include other related technologies such as telecommunication and multimedia. Early childhood educators have a responsibility to carefully examine how technology impacts young children, and they must be prepared to use technology to benefit children.

The salient point about NAEYC's position statement on technology is that its research findings indicate that computers supplement but do not replace highly valued childhood activities such as blocks, art, sand, water, books, experimentation with writing materials. and dramatic play. The best research indicates that computers, like other tools, can be misused or used appropriately. Software that is developmentally appropriate allows for cooperative play and learning.