All Saints Early Learning: Nurturing a Lifetime of Learning

All Saints Early Learning Center offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to foster a lifelong love of learning in young children. The program focuses on nurturing each child’s developmental, emotional, and social growth while helping develop emergent interests and foster independence using play as the educational foundation. With clear objectives in mind, teachers plan an engaging play-based emergent curriculum that includes strategies for young children to engage in longer periods and demonstrate deeper thinking skills. Problem-solving skills are stronger when subject matter matches their evolving interests.

Program Overview

All Saints Early Learning Center provides programs for Pre-K3, Pre-K4, and Kindergarten students. Students attend half-day or full-day Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 programs and full-day Kindergarten. The center boasts a desirable staff-to-child ratio, ensuring extra attention and care for each child. No class, regardless of age, is allowed to have a ratio of more than nine children to one adult. All Saints Early Learning Center strictly follows the minimum staff-to-child-ratios pursuant to s. 402.305, F.S., and Ch. 65C-22, F.A.C..

Staff and Training

All Saints staff members are thoroughly trained in developmental and educational child care. Several have bachelor's and associate degrees in early childhood education or related fields. All staff members attend up to 45 hours of workshop training annually, which provides the most current information in the field of child development, early childhood education, health and safety, CPR, first aid, and other current issues. The center is guided by a board of directors composed of 12 individuals.

Classroom Environment

All Saints Early Learning Center structures its classrooms into small, well-defined centers where children can work at their own pace, create plans for their play and learning, and follow their own interests - all within the context of learning to be part of a larger community. This approach allows children the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, developing skills that will foster a lifetime of authentic and productive learning.

Pre-K3 Curriculum

For many students, the Pre-K3 year marks their first experience venturing outside the safety of their families and entering the school community. To facilitate this transition, All Saints’ curriculum focuses on the following Learning Themes, which are introduced a month at a time:

Read also: Tuition and Aid Information

Welcome to School
All About Me
Feelings
Friendship
Fall Harvest
Exploring Holidays
Winter
Community Helpers
Farm
Spring
Summer and the Ocean

Learning Centers in Pre-K3

Library Center: In the Library Center, the students learn critical language skills from reading books. They enjoy time reading alone and with others. They also practice important oral language skills when they make up stories to go with the pictures they see.
Blocks and Manipulative Center: In the Blocks and Manipulative Center, students learn about gravity, stability, weight, balance, and systems. Students also learn about depth, width, height, length, shape, and balance.
Morning Meeting Activities: Students focus on counting and number recognition during morning meeting activities with the calendar.
Science and Discovery Center: In the Science and Discovery Center, the students explore a variety of scientific tools such as magnifying glasses. They learn about magnets, plants, and other items of scientific interest.
Sensory Tables: The Pre-K3 classrooms have sensory tables where the students can learn practical math skills when they pour sand and water from one container to another. Students are also engaged in nutrition projects and learn new vocabulary as they are exposed to different ingredients.
Co-curricular Activities: Pre-K3 Students partake in several co-curricular activities such as music, dance, and world language.

Pre-K4 Curriculum

During the Pre-K4 year at All Saints, the curriculum is focused on the following Learning Themes:

Look at Me
I’m Growing
Fire Prevention
The People who make our Community run
Changing Seasons
Winter and Hibernation
Valentine Post Office
Spring
Transportation
Insects and Spiders
Dinosaurs
Getting ready for Kindergarten

Learning Centers in Pre-K4

Library Center: In the Library Center, the students learn critical language skills from reading books. They enjoy time reading alone and with others. They also practice important oral language skills when they make up stories to go with the pictures they see. The books in the Library Center are changed as the learning themes rotate throughout the school year. In Pre-K4, students engage in Author of the Month studies.
Blocks and Manipulatives Center: Students continue to explore the concepts taught in Pre-K3 including stability, weight, balance, width, height, length, and shape while working in the Blocks and Manipulatives Center.
Mathematics: Students expand their knowledge of numbers, working on numbers 0-100. Other units of focus include patterns, sequencing, graphing, measurement, money, and time.
Science and Discovery Center: In the Science and Discovery Center, the students explore a variety of scientific tools including balance scales, magnifying glasses, microscopes, and measuring tools. They learn about living things as they engage in planting and study the life cycles of butterflies. They learn about basic scientific principles such as sinking and floating.
Sensory Table: The Pre-K4 classroom has a sensory table where the students can learn practical math skills when they pour sand and water from one container to another. Materials are changed to support the classroom themes.
Co-curricular Activities: Pre-K4 Students partake in several co-curricular activities such as music, dance, and world language.

Kindergarten Curriculum

For many Kindergarten students, this year is the first time they will be spending a full day at school. As such, teachers are intentional about designing the daily schedule to include not only the academic areas described below, but also to allow for breaks and quiet rest times, snacks, and outdoor play. Five-year-olds need time to explore the “real world” in the classroom and love to role-play, dress-up, and play with puppets.

Academic Focus in Kindergarten

Language Arts: The themes covered in Language Arts are culturally diverse selections which keep children’s interest, as well as incorporate other disciplines including science, math, and social studies.
Mathematics: In Kindergarten, teachers use the EnVision Mathematics textbook to support the classroom curriculum, which gives students an early foundation for beginning math skills. The clear step-by-step instruction supports student comprehension and skill development. Each lesson is customized to match student abilities.
Science: Students in Kindergarten are natural observers of the world around them. The Kindergarten science curriculum is designed to help students understand that when they observe, they are acting as scientists. We lay a foundation for the study of science by introducing the basic scientific processes: observing, comparing, classifying, measuring, and communicating. Students become observers and record keepers and are given the opportunity to look at the world around them through this new lens.
Social Studies: Students in Kindergarten begin the year learning about themselves and their families to lay the foundation for exploring the world around them. This class also represents a time for students to think about their place within the classroom and school community, and to learn about the needs and desires of others.
Co-curricular Activities: Kindergarten Students partake in several co-curricular activities such as music, dance, and world language.

Additional Programs

All Saints offers simple activities to spark faith and creativity. They also have a growing collection of free projects designed for families and communities. They provide curated bundles that include everything needed to begin Catholic homeschooling with confidence and joy.

Conclusion

All Saints Early Learning Center provides a nurturing and stimulating environment where children can grow and develop a lifelong love of learning. With a focus on play-based learning, experienced staff, and a comprehensive curriculum, All Saints is committed to providing the highest quality early childhood education.

A Word from the Director

Marian Wilcher, who holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and Varying Exceptional Education from Nova Southeastern University, leads the All Saints Early Learning Center. She considers All Saints a "hidden treasure" and invites interested families to schedule a tour to experience the center firsthand. She can be contacted personally with any questions or to set up an appointment.

Testimonials

Parents have praised the All Saints Play curriculum, noting its engaging activities, enriching unit themes, and the right amount of time for each lesson. One parent noted, "All Saints Play has made homeschooling my 4-year-old so fun! He wakes up excited to see what we’re up to, which saint we will learn about, and how he’ll get to use his creativity for school!" Another parent, a Montessori homeschooling mom, shared, "I was missing the deep richness of our faith and wanted to add to it. I fell in love with All Saints Play curriculum. We use it at the start of our day. It’s priced well and well worth it. I have even started using it for our co-op group and the other parents love it too."

tags: #All #Saints #Early #Learning #curriculum