Curriculum

The High/Scope educational approach is consistent with the best practices recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Head Start Performance Standards, and other guidelines for developmentally based programs. Within this broad framework, however, High/Scope has unique features that differentiate it from other early childhood programs. One is the daily plan-do-review sequence. Research shows that planning and reviewing are the two components of the program day most positively and significantly associated with children’s scores on measures of developmental progress. The second feature is the 58 High/Scope preschool key experiences. These are the social, intellectual, and physical experiences that are essential to young children’s optimal growth. The key experiences are organized into ten categories that comprise social development (initiative and social relations), visual and performing arts (creative representation, movement, and music), reading (language and literacy), and math and science (number, classification, seriation, space, and time). Our teachers keep these key experiences in mind when they set up the environment and plan activities to encourage learning and social interaction. They also form the basis of High/Scope’s child assessment tool—the High/Scope Preschool Child Observation Record (COR).

The environment is prepared so children may select their own activities from a variety of learning areas. Included are: dramatic play, blocks, science and math, manipulatives, art and music, reading and listening, writing, sand and water, and Bible.

The school uses literacy curriculum designed by High Scope’s Early Childhood Reading Institute. In Pre-K, teachers assess children’s literacy skills twice a year using High Scope’s Early Literacy Assessment Tool. The Growing Readers Literacy Curriculum is based on reading research and the principles of active learning. It takes place during small-group time and activities are presented on three developmental levels. The activities are designed to support the growth of children’s early literacy skills in the areas of comprehension, alphabetic principle, phonological awareness, and concepts about print. Three- year-old classrooms incorporate level one activities during small group time without the pre and post assessment. Opportunities for story dictation, listening to story tapes, being read to, environmental print and rebus story charts foster language and The Handwriting Without Tears program is also incorporated during small group time in Pre-K classrooms.

High/Scope provides children with carefully planned experiences in mathematics, and science also. The key experiences in mathematics are aligned with the early childhood standards of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics. Studies continually demonstrate that children in High/Scope classrooms show high levels of initiative. Teachers further support social development by helping children learn how to resolve interpersonal conflicts. The National Institute for Child Health and Human Development stresses that all these areas of academic and socioemotional growth are essential for school readiness.

Daily, children have the opportunity to creatively express themselves through a variety of art media. Opportunities are also provided for the development of small and large muscle skills both indoors and outdoors. Our teachers observe, guide and facilitate by asking open ended questions, offering suggestions and adding materials and ideas.

Almost 40 years of research shows that High/Scope programs advance the development of children and improve their chance of living a better life through adulthood. National research with children from different backgrounds has shown that those who attend High/Scope programs score higher on measures of development than similar children enrolled in other preschool and child care programs.



Kindergarten
This program is one of accelerated learning, fostered by the great amount of individual time each teacher is able to spend with the children, as well as lesson planning customized to fit their needs. A ratio of 1 degreed teacher to 10 students give us the ability to track each child individually, identifying areas of strength as well as areas in which students need extra, individual help.