Senior Preschool Program

Senior Preschool children in CPSC's program learn through challenging and developmentally appropriate play–based activities carefully planned to help them expand their horizons in cognitive, social, and emotional areas. For this age group, we focus is on stimulation and creativity with lesson plans that embody the children's interests and ideas. Teachers work on pre-literacy and pre-math skills through play activities and actively encourage the children to practice the skills they will need to be successful in Kindergarten.

By 3.5 years, children are developing a better sense of themselves, including their capabilities, talents, and preferences. They are more verbal and have better developed motor skills. They are ready for many activities, discussions, relationships, and challenges. In our program, children learn to play cooperatively with others, solve problems through dialogue and become self-reliant and confident in a classroom setting. Our teachers support the children’s growing social skills by helping them learn how to listen, understand the feelings of others and verbally articulate their own needs. Problem solving through negotiation is carefully taught through role play and direct feedback as children navigate their day. Creativity, creating community and the development of the children's ideas are highly valued.

Their physical well-being is also enhanced with gross motor activities in a stimulating outdoor setting. Special classes are offered weekly in gross motor development and music, with additional enrichment classes available outside of CPSC. As always, the children are cared for in a an environment that is supportive, caring and fun.

Senior Preschool Teachers

Our Senior Preschool Teachers are an exceptionally talented and well-educated. The Pre-school is led by Kim Donaldson, Assistant Director of CPSC. Kim has been a member of our teaching staff for over 12 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development, endless energy, and a wonderful sense of fun. As our coordinator, she makes sure all the Junior and Senior Preschool classrooms have the support they need to provide the children with fun and stimulation. Kim and her team provide the children with affectionate, respectful guidance in making good choices, playing with friends, and interacting with teachers. They track each individual child's cognitive, social, and emotional progress carefully to make sure each child is getting what he/she needs to develop optimally. Parents are kept well informed of their children's activities and progress through daily conversations and regular written reports on their development.

All the preschool teachers reach out to parents to provide optimal support for the children. In addition to Kim, nine others compose the preschool teaching team. Among them they have five Bachelor of Art degrees and one Associates degree. Their years of service at CPSC range from one to nineteen with six having over five years of service. Their collective expertise can be seen in the classrooms, reflected in the rich, affectionate, stable relationships between them and the children and the excellent variety of wonderfully exciting and fun activities available to the children every day.

Senior Preschool Environment

CPSC's preschoolers are able to direct much of their own play. Our environment is organized into distinct learning centers, each with its own focus, including art/writing, manipulatives, dramatic play, book/quiet, computer and science areas. When a child enters the classrooms, it is clear that there is a choice of activity and a well defined place to engage in each. In this manner we provide a stimulating choice of activity and manage several different activities simultaneously.

It is important that children have the opportunity to play in a group as well as to find a cozy area to spend a bit of time alone. There are hard and soft surfaces both indoors and outdoors. The outside environment provides plenty of grass, sand, and hard surfaces for wheel toys. There is a choice of activities with art, puzzles, Legos® and dramatic play regularly provided in the yard. All the areas are designed to optimize play and are easily supervised by the teachers.

Senior Preschool Routine
7:30 - 9:00 Free Play
9:00 - 9:15 Clean up/Hand Washing
9:15 - 9:30 Snack
9:30 - 10:00 Circle Time/Small Group Time
10:00 - 10:30 Group Time
10:30 - 10:45 Clean up/Hand Washing
10:45 - 11:45 Lunch
11:45 - 12:00 Outdoor Play
12:00 - 12:15 Bathroom
12:15 - 2:00 Nap Time
2:00 - 2:30 Wake-Up/Snack
3:00 - 5:30 Free Play (Indoors and Outdoors)
5:30 - 5:50 Clean Up
5:50 - 6:15 Quiet Table Toys