Children who complete our School Readiness program will be well prepared to meet or exceed the California State Kindergarten Content Standards.

We Provide School Readiness Support:

• Our goal is to be an important part of the school’s and each student’s academic success
• We provide a three hour, Monday through Friday program for four year olds who will enter kindergarten the following year.
• We use our school age facility in the morning when our older students are in elementary school.
• We provide adult guided and child-initiated experiences through play, physical activity, social interaction and small groups.

Our Curriculum is Research Based:

Our High/Scope curriculum meets research-based standards for social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic and physical development. Our activities and competencies support California’s State Kindergarten Content Standards and prepare children to successfully transition to kindergarten.

We have a strong Early Literacy Curriculum:

To support the development of reading and writing skills in our preschool programs, we use High/Scope Educational Research Foundation’s Growing Readers Curriculum for Early Literacy (GRC).

We provide Small Group Literacy Instruction:

The GRC is a comprehensive set of detailed plans for teacher-led, developmental small group activities based on the four critical components of early literacy: comprehension, phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, and concepts about print.

Activities meet the needs of all levels of pre-readers and readers:

The GRC includes literacy activities in each content area on three levels of development: early emergent, emergent and competent emergent. Consequently, children participate in literacy learning activities that allow them to use their current strengths and understanding as a base on which to build new knowledge and skills.

All Children’s literacy skills are assessed using the Early Literacy Skills Assessment Tool (ELSA):

The Early Literacy Skills Assessment is a valid, reliable, research based instrument designed to measure the early literacy skills of children ages 3-6 that are attending preschool and kindergarten programs. The ELSA measures the four key principles of early literacy emphasized in the No Child Left Behind Act (2002), the National Reading Panel Report (2000) and the summary of the National Early Literacy Panel Report (2004). Typically, children who develop competence in comprehension, phonological awareness, alphabetic principle and concepts about print experience more academic success than those who do not. Using this tool, we assess children’s strengths, needs and progress, analyze results and use this data to inform our teaching practices to maximize each child’s growth in literacy skills.

Our program offers the following to families:

• Our teacher-child ratio is 1:8. We foster nurturing relationships and interactions between children and teachers that build the confidence and security children need to thrive.
• We provide an enriched environment where children are encouraged to use materials that support their own ideas.
• Nutritious meals and snacks planned by registered dietitians.
• We welcome and support all children whatever their earlier experiences, environments, cultures, languages and abilities.
• We encourage and model problem solving, self-help and social skills.
• Each child receives a developmental assessment within 60 days of enrollment. We develop an individual plan based on each child’s developmental needs to ensure school readiness.
• Our qualified staff participates in ongoing professional development programs and participates in extensive program quality improvement assessments.

We work with parents and families:

• We encourage parents/families to participate in the classroom and in the program.
• We provide parent education and community resources.
• We establish relationships with elementary school teachers.
• We learn more about each child’s development through biannual parent conferences and ongoing communication about their children.
• We help register children for kindergarten.
• We involve parents in the transition to kindergarten.
• We create partnerships with the school and community.

We work with the school principal and kindergarten teachers:

• We ensure each child’s readiness to meet the kindergarten standards.
• We provide transition information and assessments.
• We partner with the school to create a smooth and effective transition to kindergarten for children and their families.
• We foster social skills necessary for kindergarten: self help, self-awareness, independence and conflict resolution.
• We schedule regular trips to the school library, kindergarten playground and classrooms.
• We arrange for the principal and kindergarten teacher(s) to visit the preschool program to meet the children, join snack or share a favorite story.
• We encourage preschool participation in any special events at the school, if appropriate.
• We include an invitation to the personnel of the school site for any family events being hosted at the preschool.
• We encourage discussions and offer answers to the children’s questions about kindergarten.
• We invite some kindergarteners over for peer interviews or set up a ‘question & answer’ letter exchange with some of the kindergarten classrooms.
• We create a photo album of the elementary school including the principal, the kindergarten teacher & classrooms and other school personnel.

We support children with individual and special needs:

• We provide staff training to develop the skills and confidence to create inclusive environments and plan experiences for the needs of all children.
• We promote and support innovative environments where all children have equal access and are encouraged to reach their full potential.
• We collaborate with the school and community resources to support the needs of the child, family, school and our program.
• We follow all ADA requirements.