Early Childhood Education: Academic Curriculum
Preschool student reading a book at Hollywood Learning Center
As part of our early childhood education program, your child will acquire a broad range of academic skills. At First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood Learning Centers all throughout the year, we are helping your child grow academically. Children at the Learning Centers learn phonics and reading, writing, math and science. Children are naturally curious. When they are given the right environment to learn their little minds are stimulated and they become excited about academics. Our early childhood education program builds on children’s natural curiosity, their desire to learn, explore, and ask questions and their love for play to begin teaching them academic skills that will build a strong foundation for success in school.
How We Teach Reading and Phonics
Learning to read starts with phonics instruction. Phonics is all about the letters of the alphabet and the sound each letter makes. By learning the different sounds for each letter, children begin to learn how to sound the words they read out loud, and soon they are able to read whole sentences!
Our Early Learning Centers daycare teachers talk frequently and directly with the children, while making eye contact . This approach helps children to become interested in the stories they are reading and become eager to talk and read themselves. Our Early Childhood Education reading program includes nursery rhymes, songs, poems and story books throughout the day.
In our preschool, we teach older children to improve their reading and language skills with fun educational games and interactive activities.
How We Teach Writing
We base our early childhood education strategy for teaching writing skills on children’s desire to be creative. Throughout the day, we have crayons, paint, art supplies, paper and educational toys available and we encouraged children to use them throughout the day in each class room. While our one and two year old daycare students may be proud to present their scribbles, our older preschool students produce letters and words while playing and being creative.
How We Teach Math
We teach math by inviting children to participate in educational games and learning activities that include sorting and matching, estimating, counting, making choices, making and identifying patterns and naming shapes. Math activities are found throughout our classrooms. For example, children can set a table or sort “groceries”. During these types of activities, they learn to build foundational mathematics skills. Our math-related activities also help children to develop skills that will help them to think logically and learn problem-solving.
How We Teach Science
Children are natural scientists with a great desire to learn, investigate, ask questions and wonder how things work. Some children are focused on outdoor discovery. They love to observe butterflies and insects, while others love to spend time in the science and discovery area inside the classroom. There they might measure how far a toy car can go or compare the weight of objects on the balancing scale. The Learning Centers offer many tools a young explorer can use, such as magnifying glasses and measuring cups. We encourage children’s desire to explore and explain by asking them questions throughout the day: What do you observe? What would happen if…? What did you find out? We support their natural curiosity so they will continue asking questions and wonder, which is the ultimate motivation of any scientist!