School Readiness Begins Here

Preschoolers are ready to take the leap to a busier, bustling classroom filled with more choices, more friends, and more independence. Teachers provide both interactive and independent activities to encourage your child and help awaken their sense of self-expression and confidence. Teachers gently transition children from activity to activity throughout the day. Your child will become more comfortable focusing on single activities for longer periods of time, as their attention span develops.

Preschool Classrooms with Room to Learn

The preschool classroom is a large, open airy space filled with furniture and areas of interest perfect for three-year-olds. Easels are the right height for creating art, cozy corners are supplied with small couches and picture books, and play kitchens are ready for a pretend feast and gathering of friends.

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    PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM FEATURES:

    • Comfortable cots for napping or quiet time
    • Child-sized toilets and handwashing sinks
    • Furniture with smooth, rounded corners
    • Child-height floor shelves with baskets of colorful and stimulating manipulatives
    • An increase in the number of areas of interest
    • Self-help art materials
    • Self-help features to encourage independence
    • Children’s artwork and writing samples on display

    PRESCHOOL LEARNING CENTERS:

    Circle Time Area

    Where children and teachers gather daily as a class.

    Block and Floor Toy Area

    Where children have access to blocks for creating small structures and experimenting with the physics of building.

    Literacy Center

    Where children curl up with a favorite book to read quietly.

    Writing Center

    Where children sit at a desk offering a variety of writing instruments to experiment with.

    Listening Center

    Where children listen to books on tape, songs, meditations, etc.

    Manipulatives Center

    Where shelves hold baskets brimming with curriculum toys for fine motor development.

    Art Center

    Where children have access to drawing, coloring, and painting materials to experiment with as they explore their creative expression of self.

    Sensory Table Center

    Where children conduct science experiments with sand and water.

    Science Center

    Where children can see and touch items from a variety of categories such as natural objects, living things, and nature/science books, games, and activities.

    Dramatic Play Center

    Where toy food and plastic dishes are stocked in a play kitchen area, and where costumes and props are available for children to dress up and play or act.

    Music and Movement Center

    Where children may help themselves to child-sized musical instruments to play in a group or to try out individually.

    Outdoor Classroom

    Where teachers bring activities and items outside to continue the group learning through play.

    What will my Preschool student learn today?

     

    Preschoolers thrive with routines and expected activities. The daily activities move along at a pace that matches their attention span and interest.

    Our days are structured to fit the needs of every child while offering plenty of room for each child to grow in their own unique direction. There is no “standard” day, but this flexible structure developed by our team allows you to see what types of activities your child will engage in with us each day.

    DAILY ACTIVITIES for a PRESCHOOLER

    • Morning Outdoor Experience
    • Morning Snack
    • Planned Curriculum Activities
    • Circle Time
    • Learning Center Exploration
    • Lunch
    • Nap/Rest Time
    • Afternoon Outdoor Experience
    • Afternoon Snack
    • Planned Curriculum Activities
    • Storytime
    • Learning Center Exploration

    Sharing the Moments & Milestones

     

    We believe in technology that improves the classroom experience for both teachers and children. Each classroom is equipped with a Bright & Early iPad that teachers use for Tadpoles, Pandora Radio, and the B&E Meditation App.

    Parents can download Tadpoles to their smart devices, where they can receive a Daily Report each evening with information about the following happenings:

    • Daily notes
    • Naps/Sleep
    • Snacks/Meals
    • Individual and class activities detailing development standards

    Teachers may also send parents snapshots of their children engaging in activities and having fun throughout the day.

    Bright & Early hosts two parent-teacher conferences each year, during which each child’s developmental assessments are reviewed in depth. In addition to these sit-down meetings, we highly value daily communication between parents and teachers, which means our teachers are available to provide updates to parents throughout each day, and we encourage parents to use pick up and drop off times to discuss their child’s progress and mindset with their teacher.

    How Children Grow, Explore, Discover, & Learn

    We believe children learn best through play-based experiences. Teachers pay attention to what children wonder about choosing weekly themes for the Learning Experience Plan based on their interests. This process gives both teachers and children a positive collective contribution to their experiences.

     

    Learning & Growth Opportunities Everywhere

    Teachers engage children in intentional conversations throughout the day, asking open-ended questions. These inquiries make a big difference in a child’s thought process by building self-confidence and patiently holding space for emerging decision making and leadership skills.

    Throughout the day children are busy creating, solving, pretending, and playing. They are given the right amount of independence to build thinking and solving skills, and confidence that their way of thinking is valuable and valued.

    Friendships blossom at this age and we encourage inclusivity and positive vibes for the classroom. We help them articulate and validate their feelings while resolving conflicts and supporting their friendships.

     

    Our Preschool Program focuses on the following Early Learning & Development Standards:

    Cognition

    When preschoolers maintain interest in exploring topics from day to day, and when they can form alternative strategies when solving problems, pushing through a challenging activity with encouragement.

    Social & Emotional Development

    When preschoolers empathize with the emotions of their friends, and when they can identify their own full name and physical characteristics.

    Physical Development & Health

    When preschoolers learn self-help skills, such as pouring their own drink from a small pitcher (a milestone of independence), when they develop fine motor skills for their burgeoning writing ability, and when they understand safety rules, such as staying in line and fire drills.

    Language & Literacy

    When preschoolers excitedly gather for story time, choosing their favorite books, and when they participate in group Q&A sessions regarding the stories, like when teachers ask “Who was your favorite character?”

    Creative Arts

    When preschoolers use art as a creative outlet to express their feelings and the happenings of their lives, and when the concept of creating 3D art is awakened (origami bird mobiles, small clay sculptures, or sugar-cube igloos).

    Mathematics

    When preschoolers can count aloud up to 10, recognize written numerals up to 5, recognizing the number of objects in a small group without actually counting them, and when they begin to understand concepts of “adding to” or “taking away from.”

    Science

    When young scientists demonstrate understanding of the cause and effect relationships between objects, such as watering a plant resulting in new leaves, and when they understand the seasonal patterns and different types of weather.

    Social Studies

    When children begin to understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves, such as their family, classroom, country, and world.

    We are proud to offer “EVEN MORE!”

    B&E Meditation App

    We partnered with Cloud9 Online, a meditation and healthcare company, to develop a customized mindfulness and meditation app specifically for Bright & Early. During the day at the centers, our teachers will use the app on the B&E classroom iPads to practice meditation and mindfulness with the children. Teaching children to be mindful, to connect with their minds and bodies, and to practice breathing helps them learn to reduce stress and stay calm.

    Preschoolers enjoy the “Mindful Child,” “Storytime,” and “Nature Sounds” categories, which include meditations such as “I Have Two Donkeys,” and “Babbling Brook.” Families have access to the app at home so that they can enjoy the “Mindful Family” category, which includes meditations to help children start their day off with positive energy as well as meditations to help them settle into their nightly routine to help them drift off to sleep.

    The meditations were written and selected to be beneficial for the physical and mental well-being of our children. The library of meditations is large, with over 30 guided meditations and songs written for children, nature sounds to soothe, and even some meditations for the whole family to practice together at home!

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    American Sign Language (ASL)

    Bright & Early teachers use a number of basic ASL signs with preschoolers. Learning and using ASL provides a number of benefits for children, including an increase in communication and language processing skills, a strengthening of connections with parents and teachers, and a decrease in frustration. Please visit our American Sign Language page for more information on our program.

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    Enrichment Programs

    Opportunities, options, and choices. The Bright & Early learning experience also includes additional and optional enrichment programs such as Early Soccer Classes or Gymnastics for toddlers & preschoolers to add depth to your child’s holistic education.  Your child may choose to participate in these programs for additional fees. See your center director to see which programs are offered at your center or for more information.

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