Curriculum and Program GoalsBrightStart Children's Academy's goal is to nurture your child's growth and we accomplish that in the following manner: Emergent curriculum, with children providing ideas that teachers use as a framework for the preparation of new curriculum activities. Emergent curriculum is meaningful to children and requires genuine responsiveness from the educator. Purchased curriculum packages can only "guess" at what your child is interested in and American-based curricula do not reflect Canadian culture.
Enriched curriculum to provide children with a fuller learning experience that addresses the development of the whole child. Click on to the following links to discover the enrichment with each of the following:
- Daily art activities, open-ended and directed, so that your child can explore his/her creativity to the fullest.
Children love to create, paint, colour, glue or cut. Crafts are an integral component of our early childhood curriculum. Art not only develops creative skills, but also a child's fine motor skills as they practice using scissors, paintbrushes, crayons and glue sticks. We strongly encourage children to develop their own ideas, independent of an adult's input; therefore most of our crafts our open-ended. A child's initiative is the desired result rather than product.
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- Counting numbers
- Sequencing by chronological order
- Sorting by groups
- Discussing the calendar and the days of the week
These activities develop early math skills. Math is also taught through teacher-developed math games that are tailor-made to the developmental level of the children. Additionally, math is introduced through simple matching games like connecting dots and numerical bingo games.
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- simple science experiences
- opportunities to explore our science corner
- Regular outdoor walks that focus on nature discovery and the environment
We use your child's natural inclination to ask questions about nature and their environment and weave these science questions (and answers) into our curriculum.
The science corner contains a magnifying glass to look at assorted bugs, twigs and leaves that were 'discovered' on a previous day's walk. Some children are fascinated by bugs, others are fearful. We found that close examination of bugs and insects helps to deal with any unexplained fears.
Other items available for your child's natural curiosity include: a fish tank, indoor plants and a variety of scientific tools (flashlights, outdoor thermometers, stethoscopes, telescope, kaleidoscope, opera glasses and prisms)
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- Daily phonics circle where your child will learn all about the alphabet, letter sounds and "letter of the week" words.
We use the "Fun Family Phonics" program (developed by a Lower Mainland linguistics and ESL specialist, Muriel Endersby; Click for details ) where each letter of the alphabet has a story to reinforce the children's learning. Each registered child (3-5 yrs) will have a work book and a teacher will be available to sit with your child to introduce early writing skills on a daily basis. Letter recognition is practiced during questions and answer time at circle and reinforced in writing by tracing letters during writing activities.
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- Daily, on-going book reading and felt-board stories.
Books and stories are chosen based on the children's interests. Storytelling promotes language, listening skills, creative thinking and imagination. Books and felt-board characters are often supplemented with puppets, wooden characters or animals and story-tapes.
Stories during circle time are the most popular vehicle for language activities. Stories can exist in a variety of forms including rhymes, songs, pictures, and audio; all are effective in teaching early reading skills to children and encouraging cognitive (intellectual) abilities.The Library Corner is well stocked with carefully chosen books from our own stock as well as the local library. Books are available anytime for exploration by reading or just opening and looking.
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- Daily singing including nursery rhymes and Mother Goose poems
- Daily exposure to various music forms
The music element of our curriculum is fulfilled by teaching children familiar melodies to encourage their knowledge of rhythm and tempo. We sing whenever we feel like it - during circle time, on walks, transition between activities and clean-up. Actions make songs more interesting and encourage more participation. In addition to children's performers, we introduce classical and world music to enhance your child's appreciation or music and to tap into the stimulating affect of Bach and Beethoven.. Children are initiated to basic musical instruments such as the xylophone, castanets, maracas, tambourines, triangles and bells.
Movement helps children to discover things about themselves, what their body can and cannot do. It develops a child's spontaneity as well as providing opportunities for play. We encourage movement with role play, acting out well known stories, dancing, marching and copy cat activities.
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- Early French during circle time
We teach basic French words that your child will recognize in daily use such as days of the week, colours, French alphabets, French songs, parts of the body and counting in French. This basic French will be foundational for further French instruction within the public or private school system.
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- Daily opportunity for dress-up, dramatic play and role play
Dramatic play helps build self-esteem. Self-expression and role-playing helps achieve language development and reasoning abilities. Role-play of family and life experiences help with emotional development.
We have a house corner and dress-up corner that is well supplied for imaginative and dramatic play. Children are able to role-play, use their imagination and recreate events of their life. This child directed play promotes cooperation in children, develops social skills with peers, teaches behavioral/impulse control with friends, and encourages moral development by internalizing a system of rules and principles of right and wrong.
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- Daily opportunity to visit the water and sand tables, science discovery centre, manipulative materials
Children are not passive onlookers; they have a natural curiosity about their physical and social environments. Sensory activities help children put meaning in their world as they touch, see, hear, smell and feel. As they interpret these sensory experiences, they develop their perception which is the springboard to cognition development.
For example, in the fall, the sensory table can contain dry leaves and pine cones or, in the spring, it can be filled with water. In the summer, it is filled with potting soil where children can plant seeds and watch as the seeds sprout into seedlings. This process encourages awareness of plant life as they nurture these seedlings, possibly watering them on a day-to-day basis. In turn, cognitive development is promoted as children start to form "scripts" in their mind on how plants grow.
Children also learn by touch and object manipulation. Manipulative materials like play dough, plasticine, clay, mud and finger paints are occasionally put on the table to stimulate the tactile and sensory awareness of the children.
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Free-choice time is the cornerstone of our early childhood program because children learn best when it arises from their natural desires to explore. Children can choose between art, workbooks or play in the various areas including manipulatives, dramatic centre, library corner, computer area, science corner or housekeeping.. Teachers are always close by to facilitate, give support, answer questions or provide challenges to an inquisitive mind.
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Quiet time or naptime is an important part of the day as children are busy and on the go all day. We have a scheduled quiet time everyday from 12:30-2:30; infants and toddlers may nap more often. While napping is not compulsory, children need time to "wind down" and rest. Quiet activities such as books or foam puzzles will be available for children that don't sleep.return to top
Daily health is promoted with a toilet and hand washing routine three times a day, a nutritional snack, curriculum and outdoor play. return to top
Outdoor play improves children's gross motor skills, social skills like how to get along with friends by sharing balls or toys and teaches problem solving. Depending on the weather, we strive for one hour of outdoor physical activity daily. The ratio of one teacher for every eight children (3-5 year olds) or one teacher for every four toddlers (under 3 years) means that all teachers will be a part of plans to maximize the safety of all children in their care. Our outdoor area is clearly defined with a fence. When we utilize a community field, safety cones will identify the outdoor play area and staff will carry a first aid pouch and a communication device for emergencies.Our modern outdoor play equipment is locally designed and has been approved by the City of Port Coquitlam and licensing bodies.
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To enhance our curriculum, we go on field trips at least twice in a school year. Popular field trips include a pumpkin patch in the fall and the aquarium in the spring. Other ideas include visits to grocery stores, an animal hospital or visiting with seniors. Children will wear safety vests and be supervised at all times by their teachers and adults during the trip. (Parents participation is welcomed on our field trips.)return to top
We celebrate your child's achievements with an early December Christmas concert and a preschool graduation in June. Your child will have the pleasure of performing at the Christmas concert and families will have the pleasure of celebrating their child's accomplishments in June. Parents, siblings and grand-parents are invited to both events.return to top
'What we want to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.' George Bernard ShawOur goal is to nurture your child’s growth and this is accomplished by:
- providing each child with an early and bright start to his/her social and academic education
- providing a safe, supportive, and fun classroom environment
- providing continuity of learning and nurture from home to school, with parents & teachers working together as partners
- helping children make new friends and discover interests
- providing free-choice as a motivation for children to explore their physical & social environments
- developing hand-eye coordination through unstructured play - indoors and outdoors
- learning to communicate effectively through auditory and language development
- fostering cognitive (intellectual) development by using natural curiosity
- developing perceptual recognition with computers and sensory tables
- building self-esteem, cooperative play, moral & emotional development through role-play and dress-up
- developing fine motor skills with art and crafts
