Busy Bees (2-5 years)

Our large open classroom with mixed ages and team teaching approach promotes a healthy, happy and progressive learning environment.  Teachers are able to collaborate, engage in peer mentoring, support each other and promote accountability.

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) lists the following benefits for children of multi-age classrooms:

• Children are able to spend several years with the same teacher. This allows the teacher to develop a deeper understanding of a child’s strengths and needs, and is therefore in a better position to support the child’s learning.
• Children have several years to develop, and are able to see themselves as progressive, successful learners.
• Children are viewed as unique individuals. The teacher focuses on teaching each child according to his or her own strengths, unlike in same-age classrooms that often expect all children to be at the same place at the same time with regard to ability.
• Children develop a sense of family with their classmates. They become a “family of learners” who support and care for each other.
• Older children have the opportunity to serve as mentors and to take leadership roles.
• Children are more likely to cooperate than compete. The spirit of cooperation and caring makes it possible for children to help each other as individuals, not see each other as competitors.
• Older children model more sophisticated approaches to problem solving, and younger children are able to accomplish tasks they could not do without the assistance of older children. This dynamic increases the older child’s level of independence and competence.

WE TEACH CHILDREN SPANISH AND AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

Our Busy Bees curriculum is literacy based, language rich, and play driven.  Thematic units of learning are organized around a featured Big Book.  Literature comes alive through manipulatives, bulletin boards, learning centers, music and movement activities and dramatic play.  Language arts, math, science, and social study concepts are “spun off” of the featured Big Book.  The environment is language rich with frequent and varied exposure to written and verbal expression.  Additionally, children are taught Spanish and American Sign Language.

ADULT DIRECT AND CHILD DIRECTED LEARNING CENTER ACTIVITIES

Learning Center activities and Table Top activities are a balance between adult direct and child directed.  There is ample time for exploration and discovery with play when children are able to act on their environment, negotiate with their peers, use their imaginations, and develop cause and effect reasoning skills. Physical Education occurs indoors and outdoors through dance, aerobics, yoga, tumbling, kickball, basketball, soccer, T-ball and more. 

SIMPLE PRAYER AND BIBLE STORIES

A part of each day is set aside for worship and the Word of God.  Children are taught simple prayer and Bible stories but most of all, the message of God’s unwavering love for them.