 | The All Saints’ Early Childhood Unit (ECU) is a two year, multi-age developmentally based program that provides a high quality, child-centered, innovative educational experience for students ages four years nine months to six years old. The program respects and honors the different developmental needs of each child and recognizes that intellectual and social benefits result when students of mixed ages share a classroom. Age grouping beyond the traditional one year range found in most pre-K and K programs celebrates the rich variety of knowledge and abilities of the students.
ECU provides a balanced curriculum that includes both teacher-directed and student-initiated activities, quiet as well as active experiences, and the understanding that learning occurs in both formal and informal settings. Learning takes place in a warm, nurturing environment designed to stimulate thinking, develop language, and promote creative exploration and problem solving. The program encourages students to function independently and productively, foster satisfying relationships with peers and adults, develop a positive self image, and exercise choices which lead to discovery, experimentation and self-expression.
At its heart, the goal of the of the All Saints’ ECU experience is to prepare students to be joyful, confident, life-long learners.
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Early Childhood Unit: Morning ProgramThe ECU morning program serves as a foundation for student learning in the academic areas of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, art and music. Additionally, the program emphasizes and promotes students’ social-emotional and spiritual growth. The morning program provides an active learning environment that is predictable and secure and one in which students learn both in groups and independently.
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Language ArtsReading
Reading groups in ECU cover a range of skills. Instruction begins with letter recognition, sound-symbol relationship, long and short vowels, consonant blends, and the introduction of common sight words. Pre-primers reinforce the students growing sight word vocabulary and accompanying activities allow opportunities for summarizing stories, demonstrating comprehension, and predicting what might come next. Guided reading provides the children an opportunity to explore a wide variety of literature experiences. All activities are designed to stimulate independent thinking and writing.
Writing
Handwriting lessons using Handwriting Without Tears make handwriting easy to learn and serve as a link to handwriting instruction in first grade. Opportunities to write occur throughout the curriculum and include Writer’s Workshop, which provides exposure to a variety of children’s literature and creates time for response through discussion, reflection, writing and illustration and journal writing in reading, math, and science; and research projects.
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| Mathematics Math groups in ECU begin the study of the relationship between numbers and quantities, simple addition and subtraction, estimation in computation and problem solving, sorting and classifying of objects, concept of time and units of measure, geometric shapes, graphing and mathematical reasoning. Basic addition and subtraction skills are designed to lead to mastery and automatic recall of the basic addition and subtraction facts. Thinking story problems involve the children in carefully crafted stories which involve multiple operations, cumulative content and the use of reasoning and critical thinking skills. All of these activities are designed to develop an understanding of math language, which students will use throughout their school years. |
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| Science As a way to provide children with a good foundation for a later understanding of more abstract scientific concepts, ECU provides many first-hand concrete activities such as water play, sand play and garden exploration, and science kits provide opportunities for scientific exploration and inquiry. All these activities help the children make the connection between everyday experiences and scientific concepts. ECU's science curriculum is designed to provide children with exciting science experiences that extend their natural fascination with the world and help them learn the science skills and concepts they will need in later schooling and in life. |
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| Social Studies Recognizing the importance for each child to develop a sense of his or her place within both the local and global community, units centering on school/community, people/occupations and global awareness form the basis of the social science curriculum. These often involve dramatic play centers, language experience booklets, and related literature, and draw upon the children's prior experience and knowledge. Seasonal celebrations carry cultural messages as well as information about physical changes around us: many holidays, including Valentine's Day, Easter, and International Day are celebrated and these integrate literature, art, physical science, and music. The All Saints’ character education curriculum is used throughout the year to teach the loving values and skills that children need in order to develop into happy, productive, and caring individuals. |
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Early Childhood Unit: Afternoon ProgramThe ECU afternoon program is a natural extension and enrichment of the morning program with a focus on social-emotional development. The afternoon program provides a variety of opportunities for students to engage in social connections and activities including arts and crafts, gardening, science, computers, physical education, foreign language, cooking, and outdoor play which build upon the core curriculum of the ECU morning program. The ECU afternoon program is held in the ECU building from noon until 3:15 PM and is available to all ECU students.
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| This is a very exciting time - we have a brand new building for our ECU! The new building is a place that gives our students a feeling of ownership...attractive displays at their eye level, information sources within their reach, inviting work spaces, areas for exploration in large and small groups, patio and garden for science and large motor activities....a place that reflects their unique style of learning and one thatl supports a sense of community within the class.
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