The Child Development Center provides preschool education to children ages 2 - 6 years of age. We offer four classrooms that are divided up by chronological age and developmental level. Our four classrooms include:
Bees: ages 2-3. Diapering services provided
Trains: ages 3-4. Diapering services provided
Stars: ages 4-5. Kindergarten readiness focused
Bears: ages 4-6. Kindergarten readiness focused
Curriculum
The Child Development Center utilizes a constructionist approach to learning through the Project Construct Curriculum. Our curriculum fosters authentic learning experiences while building off of children's innate curiosity and desire to understand the world around them. There are four main domains in the Project Construct curriculum. From those domains, the early learning standards from the state of Missouri branch off. The four domains in Project Construct are:
Socio-Moral Development: In this domain, we focus on interpersonal communication, being able to express ourselves and our emotions appropriately, to share, to take turns, to be kind. We help children understand both verbal and non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and body language. We also support children as they transition from parallel play to cooperative imaginative play.
Cognitive Domain: This domain is largely what people think of when they hear "preschool." This domain encompasses the primary academic areas including math, science, and social studies. The cognitive domain is fostered in our earliest of learners. A learning portfolio is created for each child and will follow them through the CDC until they graduate.
Representational Domain: The representational domain focuses on language, vocabulary, and conventions of text. We assist children as they move from learning how to hold a book to tracking lines as an adult reads aloud to them. Children learn that text holds meaning, and while they might not be able to read it yet, they will know which way to hold a book, which way we read the lines, and that text tells a story or conveys a message. The children will also learn that numbers hold place value and work to actively increase their vocabulary. It is not necessary for a child to speak English to attend our preschool. We work to communicate and express ourselves in a variety of ways.
Motor Skills: The Child Development Center is a Move Smart school. We understand that cognitive development is fostered and enhanced with gross motor activity. Children receive a minimum of 90 minutes of physical activity a day: 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes after lunch, and 30 minutes (minimally) in the afternoon. These periods might take place on our beautiful playground, spacious front lawn, or all-weather gym. We also focus on fine-motor skills, enhancing children's ability to pinch, grasp, and clasp.