Curriculum
The Shlenker Early Childhood program serves children from 15 months to 5 years old. In following with developmentally appropriate practice, each class is designed to encourage the mastery of skills appropriate to the child's developmental stage.
The Shlenker School utilizes The Creative Curriculum® series as a basis for all curriculum planning. This series is based on the foundation of research and responds to new requirements for addressing academic content in a developmentally appropriate manner. It is an environmentally based approach that defines more clearly the vital role of the teacher in connecting content, teaching, and in early childhood. This series provides standards that offer an opportunity to enrich the curriculum and integrate content learning into everyday experiences.
Young Toddler and Older Toddler Program
Our Young Toddler (beginning at 15 months) and Older Toddler programs (2 years old) focus on the development of trust, establishing autonomy and self-control, separating from parents, building on existing language skills, and learning to be with peers. Activities focus on sensory experiences, hands-on learning, early literacy, constructive play, music and movement, communication with peers and handling feelings in acceptable, socially appropriate ways.PreK-3Program
The PreK-3 program (for children 3 to 4 years old) focuses on building competence and initiative through active involvement with the classroom environment.Activities promote cooperative behavior, problem-solving skills, logical thinking skills, imaginative play, and language and emerging literacy skills. Interest areas include blocks, manipulatives, science, writing, library, dramatic play, music sensory/discovery and art.PreK-4 Program
The PreK-4 program prepares children for the transition to Kindergarten with activities and additional curriculum components that challenge the children in each developmental area. Interest areas in PreK-4 duplicate those in thePreK-3 classrooms with the addition of a computer center. Activities build on existing skills while incorporating new, more sophisticated concepts in all areas of development.Ancillary Programs
In addition to the core curriculum provided in each classroom, The Shlenker School provides ancillary programs in art, music, motor development, creative movement and technology.Art
Our PreK-4 students work with our resident artist weekly. Through the use of different media, the children develop their creativity, exercise fine motor muscles, and promote eye/hand coordination.
Music
All of our early childhood students spend time weekly in our music lab. Our music program teaches the children some of the favorite familiar songs while helping them to develop pre-mathematic skills such as recognizing patterns, learning awareness of time concepts and sequences. The class also helps children understand and follow oral directions and allows them to take on pretend roles and situations.
Motor Development
This class focuses on the development of fine and gross motor skills. As children learn what their bodies can do, they gain self-confidence. With more advanced physical development, children master increasingly sophisticated tasks and gain personal responsibility for their own physical needs, such as dressing themselves.
Creative Movement
Each week the children are taken on a different imaginary adventure with Arts Alive! This creative movement class helps the children learn about the body's ability to move and use time and space in different ways.
Technology
Our PreK-4 students have weekly classes in our state-of-the-art computer lab. These classes are an introduction to the world of technology. Students learn the parts of the computer and keyboarding, and receive an introduction to various developmentally appropriate software programs.
Literacy Program
A literacy-rich environment is provided in all of the early childhood classes. Books are shared with the children daily and stories are often acted out by the Older Toddler, PreK-3 and PreK-4 classes. Children also share “daily news” in their classes, one of many activities that allow children to make the connection between the spoken and written word. Many teachers receive intensive, professional education in early literacy through Shlenker's participation in the Classroom Storytelling Project of the School Literacy and Culture Project at Rice University Center for Education.Our goal is to foster in each child a love of books and stories.
Jewish Learning
One of the unique aspects of The Shlenker School is the integration of Jewish learning into the early childhood curriculum. Children develop a strong Jewish identity through a natural immersion in the Jewish learning environment. Jewish learning materials, Torah stories and the celebration of Jewish holidays are appropriately woven into the curriculum. In addition, children prepare for Kabbalat Shabbat at weekly Friday services.
My child has just blossomed at The Shlenker School; we couldn't be happier.Jane
