PROGRAMS

Infants --- 6 weeks - 16 months

A group of dedicated and trained staff in the care of Infant/Toddler work daily to encourage, guide and challenge each child to reach their own  unique developmental triumphs. Through continuous daily communication, they stive to support you the parent/guardian and your child through this joyous process.

While tending throughout the day to the child's personal schedule for feeding, sleeping and personal hygiene, staff nurture and assist each baby to further development in social, language and motor skills. Babies are exposed to songs, reading of books and general conversations to influence language. The very important development of large motor skills for sitting, creeping, crawling and walking are provided  safe and secure materials and opportunities as in activity mats, large, soft obstacles and sturdy pull bars and furniture.  Eye-hand coordination and arm muscle growth are encouraged through the use of stacking blocks, peg puzzles, ball rolling/throwing,  using crayons, with the staff.

A lot of growing occurs in the Infant room. Flagstone school's Infant staff welcome you and thank you for allowing them to be a part of your baby's wonderful first year.

Toddlers --- 16 months - 24 months

The young toddler year, 12 months - 24 months, is a critical time in children’s development! Language is budding, greater dexterity, walking becomes running and a Me Do It attitude can make this year full of joys, frustrations, and wonderment for both child and parent. This is why, our staff provides a comfortable, nurturing environment full of personal attention which while is a little hovering is never smothering. Our teachers emphasize cleanliness, safety, age appropriate activities and healthy practices. But they must also encourage each toddler to try to do for himself.. Our skill-based curriculum offers opportunities for the child to practice greater eye-hand-coordination and self help skills through using utensils(child size spoons) while eating, drinking from cups (both open and closed), getting and putting on items of clothing as coats, hats, completing single and two to three piece puzzles, turning pages in self selected books, painting at easels, tearing  paper, gluing  collage materials etc. Putting away toys and materials in proper places after usage, furthers the development of socialization, and a sense of responsibility.  Language is encouraged to express emotions, to state wants and needs. A glance into our toddler room will show constant movement,vibrate with sounds of  a variety of noise, attempts to extend concentration by group singing, listening to story time, cuddling on a teacher lap to control tears or fears. And here at Flagstone, we wouldn't't want it any other way,  because we recognize and respect that a young toddler needs all that to keep growing and developing their unique little self.

Juniors Pre School ---approx. 2 1/2 through 3 1/2

The older two, young three demonstrates more confidence, more language, and a little more swagger in their walk!  Flagstone  Junior Preschool teachers, work to establish an early childhood program which is based in an active hands-on learning environment enabling each child to become a creative, confident thinker as they seek and gain new skills. Even personal hygiene steps as in completing potty training in a relaxed environment builds more independent self help skills. The Junior preschooler not only wants to do more but can do more.  Staff guide each child through the play/learning environment to strengthen large motor skills in jumping, skipping, trike pedalling, more acurate ball and bean bag toss, and balance walking. Eye-hand coordination skills now tackle using scissors, completing peg-less puzzles, lacing, tracing, and the all important beginning of printing with appropriate size pencils. Abstract and cognitive learning are promoted with counting, sequencing, pattern imitation activities.  Junior Preschool is not just a stepping bridge to Prekindergarten, it is a year of exciting development in its own right.

Senior Preschool - 3 1/2 through 4 years

PreKindergarten 4 years through turning 5

Successful beginnings are best achieved when the earliest learning experiences are positive ones. When a young child feels good about school, attitudes are formed that promote a lifetime of intellectual growth and inquisitiveness. Early Childhood teachers should nurture children to become confident learners. They should foster each child's emotional, social, and academic development through hands-on learning, exploration, and creativity. In a variety of structured settings, they learn independence, cooperation, and tolerance.  Our teachers  work to create an environment which provides just the right amount of support through a balance of direct instruction and organic play in order for each child to reach his or her learning goals. Our programs promote cooperative play and collaborative problem-solving skills through classroom-appropriate lesson plans. Accepting the individual learning styles of each child, senior preschool staff work to create and maintain a program which fosters pre-reading and reading development, math beyond rote counting on into  understanding grouping and sets and quantities. The wonder of science through observation of nature, growth cycles of plants, changes in water and air become part of the daily learning environment. A continuation of the nurturing for emotional and social development, started back in the Infant program, a furthering towards the challenge to grow more independent as guided in our  Toddler and Junior preschool programs are the foundations of the Senior Preschool learning experience. The goal of this program, of the staff is to partner with parents to assist each child to know and understand that through TRYING  THERE IS LITTLE THEY CANNOT DO.