Learning is fun at All Superstars Preschool
We believe that learning must be a joyful experience for young children. We plan our activities carefully so that this is always the case. We build our curriculum using the Florida State Performance Standards as our guide. Copies of these standards are available for parents.
Each week we have a different theme. Posters are always on display in the office letting you know both the theme and the letter of the week.
Twice a year, all preschool children are assessed using the Ages and Stages tool so that we can all be sure that the children are progressing well in all areas of development.
Children in our Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program are screened using the Department of Education's AP1, AP2 and AP3 assessment tools.
We let you know how you can help by working with your child at home and we provide you with all kinds of entertaining activities to help develop any particular skill.
Activity Plans are posted outside your child’s classroom as well as their daily schedule. The teachers write daily reports of the day’s activities on their notice boards. Each child has a file in his or her classroom with their creations for you to take home.
Take an in-depth look at our curriculum
Curriculum for toddlers
In our 1 and 2 and younger 3 year old classrooms, we combine the research-based “Creative Curriculum” with our own special blend of entertaining and stimulating educational activities.
Our toddlers are given the very best of care with immediate response to all their needs and just the right amount of stimulation. They are given every opportunity and encouragement to practice newly acquired skills, learning at their own pace with kind and loving guidance. Potty training is stress-free with our patient and experienced teachers’ encouragement.
You will see on our weekly lesson plans posted outside each classroom that we make sure all areas of development are addressed in the activities that we plan but we do always have a “Focused Skill of the Week.” This might be a skill such as learning to match colors or kicking a ball. It is fun and beneficial for you to work together on these particular skills at home too.
Throughout the day we read stories, we sing songs, we do fingerplay, we draw, we paint, we do puzzles, we play with dolls and trucks, we dress up and have dinner parties, we blow bubbles, we count, we cuddle, we giggle, we dance, we play ball, we ride bikes, we splash in the water…
We thoroughly enjoy our days with our toddlers!
Curriculum for older three and four year olds
Our 3 and 4 year olds are taught using themes, typically one per week. Do help your child select “Show and Tell” items that relate to the theme. Again we use the “Creative Curriculum” as a guideline along with our own proven activities. Our curriculum is very strong in its literacy and math components giving the children a very sound base for Kindergarten. Each classroom has a schedule posted outlining the times for the following activities:-
CIRCLE TIME
Once the majority of the children have arrived we like to start our day with “Circle time.” This is when children sit together with their teacher as a group and talk about the day ahead. Helpers are chosen for different tasks in the classroom. Guidelines for cooperative play are discussed. Circle time often ends with a song, a story or a fingerplay. Do please check what time your child’s class has Circle Time and try to have your child arrive in time to participate.
LEARNING CENTERS
Typically, after Circle Time, about an hour will be allocated for “Learning Centers.” Classrooms at All Superstars are set up with different activity areas:-
Manipulative Toys, Art, Science, Reading, Writing, Music,
Building, and House-Keeping and Dressing-up.
Children choose an area where they wish to play and may freely move on to another area whenever they wish, after they have tidied away the equipment they were using.
Because the children make the choice of activity themselves, they will be enthusiastic and, therefore, open to a wealth of learning experiences as they play. For example, if children choose to play in the science area and are sorting zoo animals, the teacher will utilize this “teachable moment” to develop some important skills. She might suggest the children build a zoo for these animals. This will involve building fences, figuring out how much space the animals would need, deciding when to feed them and what they would need to eat. The teacher will help the children discuss with one another who should be responsible for what and how they can work as a team to complete the task successfully. Again, depending on the children’s ages, the theme could be developed even further with working out how much visitors should pay to come to the zoo and writing a notice with the prices.
PROJECT TIME
Project or Small Group time is when a small group of children get together with their teacher for a group learning experience. This could be anything from an art or science activity to a playdough making session or a sorting and counting activity. This will often be related to the Theme of the Week. During this time, a specific area of development is targeted and children are closely observed to enable the teacher to identify each individual child’s area of need.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITES
Typically children have about an hour of outdoor play in the morning and maybe more in the afternoon depending on the weather. While children clearly need time to explore and play on their own as well as with their friends, we do also like to organize activities and games outdoors as well. Hunting for pennies in the sand and then adding them up to see how many we found is a popular activity as is hunting for plastic letters to spell our names. Of course we always like to check on our plants in our hydroponic garden.
MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
Music and Movement is a daily activity. We try to utilize a wide variety of music, including the great classics.
STORY TIME
The children in all classrooms are read to several times during the day. Children are often invited to act out parts in the story and we always check their comprehension by asking questions throughout. Any new vocabulary words that arise are posted on our notice board for you to review with your child. A large vocabulary is a great indicator of later reading success.
Curriculum for elementary school children
Buses from all the local Elementary Schools will pick up children directly from our centers in the morning and drop them off after school. When the children come out of school, they are offered a snack and some time to unwind before settling down to homework. Our teachers are always there to assist where needed. After homework, there are all kinds of choices of activities available such as:
Working on a project, working or playing games on the computer, caring for our pets, playing or gardening outdoors, quiet reading in a corner, arts and crafts, or group games.
* We have fun packed programs with field trips and guest speakers for all school breaks!
* Children are also taken on trips to the local library during the vacations and on school-off days. Please be sure that you sign the permission form for this and that your child has a current library card.