INFANT

The infant room nourishes the child developmentally and emotionally.  Our infant care program for children in the range of 6 weeks of age to 13 months, with four infants to each caregiver. Our caregivers provide a loving and nurturing environment for every child.

Schedules

Sleeping, feeding schedules and diaper changes are individually based and recorded from home to school each day. We strive to communicate with parents daily to be sure we are meeting the needs of the constantly changing infant.

Feeding

We are your partners in guiding and supporting you during the many changes in feeding routines that you will experience as your child grows. All bottles and food for infants are supplied from home with refrigerators, freezers, warmers, and microwaves in the classroom.

Infant environment, we are set up to safely and hygienically accommodate both breastfed and formula-fed babies, finger foods, jarred meals, homemade purees, etc.

As an option, we provide comfortable chairs for breastfeeding mothers who would like to nurse their babies on site.

We have an open-door policy.

Sleeping

In our infant room, each child has a dedicated crib for younger infants or a mat for older infants. We work with parents to replicate techniques that work best at home for your child’s sleep patterns, while sharing tips from our experts for optimizing your child’s sleep. While pacifiers are permitted for younger infants, we will assist the 10-24-month-old child to wean from these to promote independence and oral health. We also help prevent tooth decay by refraining from placing bottles in cribs, or having children fall asleep while drinking a bottle. We will rock or hold a very young infant between 3-4 months who needs such comforting to fall asleep; however, we will work with these parents, and particularly with parents of older infants, to help the infants develop self-regulation in sleep habits. Our goal is for your child to recognize sleep as a peaceful opportunity to self-soothe and rest because he or she is tired. If your child arrives asleep in a car seat or stroller, he or she will be gently placed in a crib. Children will have the opportunity to awaken from sleep naturally.

TODDLER

Toddler Program

The toddler program is designed for children ages 14 months to 24 months. Our program offers a child the opportunity to grow socially, emotionally and cognitively through real and positive interactions and carefully chosen materials. The sequence of activities in the toddler environment helps give order, consistency and security to each child’s daily life.

Toddlers Classroom and Activities

Toddlers work with material in the following subject areas: practical life, sensorial, language and art. In the practical life areas, children develop independence, concentration, coordination and a sense of order.

Toddlers participate in Spanish classes each week. Learning social skills is a big part of a toddler’s development. Great attention is given to helping the children identify their feelings and express them appropriately.

Social Skills

Learning social skills is a big part of a toddler’s development. Great attention is given to helping the children identify their feelings and express them appropriately.  Interacting with their peers and working together on projects helps children learn more about cooperation, teamwork, and friendship.

Socialization also helps children acquire language, learning different words each day.

Pre-K

Our preschool program offers a more structured approach to learning. The students in this program are encouraged to think outside the box and make peer relationships that will help them to grow in many other ways. This program prepares them for pre-k and let them expand their creative side.

Focus Areas

The program focuses on content knowledge such as math, science, technology, emergent reading and writing, social and language skills. Our purposeful classroom design allows for teacher-directed activities, while maintaining flexibility for the children to independently explore areas of interest. Our unique environment promotes intellectual, emotional, social and physical development for the “whole” child, while also promoting self-confident, successful lifelong learners. Our Pre-K classrooms have a more formal assessment. It is conducted four times a year and was designed to assist teachers and parents to identify each child’s needs and development.

At First Class Learning Center, we know that preschool matters. Even at a young age getting exposure to letters, numbers and shapes help to get them accustomed to learning them before entering a school building. There are other forms of learning that happen while in school too, like listening to a teacher-figure and expanding their ability to pay attention for a certain amount of time. Not everything that is beneficial about preschool programs must do with academics.

Other important skills learned in our Center fall under the socialization umbrella, such as getting along with other children, learning to share, and contribute and participate in a group discussion. They also will learn how to be respectful, to compromise and even ways to solve problems. Another aspect of going to a preschool program that is often overlooked is that children learn to separate from their parents.

Our center is filled with opportunities for our students to expand their horizons, seek out information, explore new adventures and interrupt the world around them. Education is more than just sitting in a desk and doing worksheets. We recognize that children in this age range are not accustomed to sitting still and listening to lectures, which is why we don’t teach that way. This age group learns through movement, exploration, and putting their hands-on projects.

Classroom set up

Our Pre-K classes are set up in content learning centers. These centers focus on content knowledge such as math, science, technology, emergent reading and writing, social and language skills. The focus in each of these subjects is to form a good foundation in each one for further learning. We want each student to go on to Kindergarten and grade school with advanced pre-reading skills, better vocabularies, and strong basic math skills. Thanks to our student to teacher ratio, our teachers are able to work with each student at their current level rather than focusing on the group level, which helps improve the quality of education.

The curriculum identifies the fact that there are multiple intelligences. We focus on developing the entire child rather than just the areas that schools deem necessary. Helping students to find the areas that they excel in and the ways that they learn best is a great way to help each child boost their self-esteem and knowledge of themselves.

Art: Through our creative art program, our students develop an appreciation for dance, art, music, dramatic play, storytelling and visual arts.

Social Emotional: Students show care and concern for others. Develop healthy relationships with teachers and peers and learn how to express their feelings, needs and wants in a healthy and respectful manner.

Physical Skills/Gross & Fine Motor: Students build on eye-hand coordination to use everyday tools. Through this process, students learn how to manipulate a variety of tools including eating utensils, pencils, scissors, blocks, etc. Students also develop motor coordination and skill using objects for a range of physical activities.

Language and Foreign Languages: Through conversation, storytelling, and technology, students develop an understanding of spoken language and world languages. Students are exposed to all forms of communication including English and Spanish.

AFTER-SCHOOL

Our School-Age program is designed to help students with their homework and assist them in the areas that they may be having difficulty understanding. We encourage them to develop in school and out while providing with the understanding and educational structure.

Our after-school child care program allows school-age children to balance learning and fun through a variety of experiences, from homework help to fun physical activities. 

DROP-IN CARE

With our Drop-In program, you never have to worry about your child not having friends to play with or where your child will go on their day off from school. You get reliability and flexibility, and your child gets to have fun in our safe and secure environment.

Drop-In care is the perfect solution for those who need care over holidays and/or school breaks or do not want to commit to full time care. There is no limit to how many days you can use in a given year. After completing our enrollment paperwork, just call 24 hours in advance to reserve your spot.