Our Academic Program

Early Childhood Education:

Academic Curriculum

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

At our preschool, we nurture early literacy through The Creative Curriculum®, which combines play-based, hands-on activities with systematic phonics instruction.

For infants and toddlers, we focus on responsive interactions, sensory experiences, and repetitive routines to build foundational language skills. Preschoolers engage in phonics programs, daily story time, and interactive literacy activities to develop reading fluency and comprehension.

Our print-rich environment and small group instruction cater to individual learning needs, while active parental involvement ensures consistent support. This comprehensive, engaging approach fosters confident, skilled readers prepared for future academic success.

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 encourage 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!