Curriculum
Infants
Babies spend their day interacting with competent, well-trained, loving staff in a newly remodeled, spacious infant center. Teachers abide by parent instructions on sleeping, diapering and feeding, mirroring home routines. Food, diapers, bottles, clothing and sundries are provided by parents and each is labeled with the child’s name. Formula, breast milk and/or baby food is warmed in bottle warmers.
Music, dance and teacher/child interaction play a big role in the infant classrooms. The educarers in our Infant One Room, for babies six weeks of age through 12 months (roughly), focus on attachment, comfort and building body stability. Teachers for little ones who are 12 – 24 months old, help the children with balance, walking and other gross motor skills and begin Circle Time with songs, clapping and acknowledgement of all the children in attendance. In addition prepare little ones for preschool through the use of fine motor skill development and pre-literacy exercises.
We know the anxiety of parents having to leave their precious child with unfamiliar people. They ensure parents receive photos of their child/children throughout the week, fill out detailed daily reports and make themselves available to answer questions and share stories. Our goal is to minimize your anxiety through service to parents and outstanding care for the children.
This introduction of our services is no substitute for a visit to the center. Feel free to tour, sit in on a class, talk to the staff. Find out for yourself if this is the right place for you and your baby. Our number is 818-700-2821.
Preschool
2 Year Old
Two-year-old’s respond well to structure and routine as it provides a sense of comfort when the environment is predictable to them. All children are given extra attention until they are settled and bonded to their teacher.
We encourage independence, healthy habits, creativity and exploration. We potty train, teach good hygiene, good manners and an assortment of games, songs, physical activities and art along with academics appropriate for this age. We encourage the children to speak often.
As a by-product of our calm, yet busy and active environment, many students master the names of colors, the days of the week, the words to quite a few songs, the names of many letters and their phonetic sounds, can count to ten and above, practice good manners, and can discuss the events of the day. By the end of academic year, children are more than ready for the next class, The 3 years old program.
3 Year Old
Three-year old’s are already potty-trained and are proficient at hand-washing and feeding themselves.
Through songs, games, puzzles and hands-on activities, these children are introduced to academics, science, good manners and self-sufficiency.
Children in the 3 year old class are assessed and periodically reassessed throughout the year. Parents will see their child learn the names of the letters along with each letter’s phonetic sound and its sign language symbol. They learn to spell and recognize their name, in addition to number recognition and counting, days of the week and months of the year. They learn American Sign Language, Spanish, and practice fine-motor skills such as lacing, cutting, beading, and writing. We introduce the concept of weekly homework to enforce and strengthen what has been taught to your child throughout the day.
Pre-K / Kindergarten
The goal of the 4 year old class instructors is to ensure that every child develops a love of learning that lasts a lifetime, an appreciation for mastering a subject and the ability to focus and to start Kindergarten or First Grade exceeding the state standards.
Upon entry, children are assessed by one of our teachers and reassessed periodically afterward to measure progress and to individualize each student’s program. Similarly, all the work that a child completes is sent home so parents can see the progress that is being made.
We use songs, poems, hands-on activities, science experiments, art and games, teach the five senses, the continents, the names of the common bones in the body, computer skills, math concepts, the digestive system and major art masters. Fine-motor skill exercises are done for short periods of time in small groups. Reading readiness drills and reading are done one-on-one. Again, our focus is mastery.
Although academic advancement is our primary goal, the children enjoy outside directed games and free play, participate in musical performances for parents, enjoy cultural parties and celebrations, and weekly library visits. Graduates from Devonshire Preschool can be seen excelling in gifted programs, on robotic teams, and at private and top public schools.
The Preschoolers enjoy visits from outside activity-providers who can expand our in-class lessons. Critter Squad, HighTouch HighTech (science), Kidz Dental and local community leaders bring a new dimension to in-class learning.
For an additional fee, soccer, ballet and hip-hop dance lessons are available for this age child.
We know the anxiety of parents having to leave their precious child with unfamiliar people. They ensure parents receive photos of their child/children throughout the week, fill out detailed daily reports and make themselves available to answer questions and share stories. Our goal is to minimize your anxiety through service to parents and outstanding care for the children.
This introduction of our services is no substitute for a visit to the center. Feel free to tour, sit in on a class, talk to the staff. Find out for yourself if this is the right place for you and your baby. Our number is 818-700-2821
