Core Curriculum

Sharing a favorite book with a friend is great fun, no matter how many times they have heard the story, or seen the pictures. Excitement builds as a favorite part is coming soon; hurry, turn the page! 

Our youngest learners develop a life-long love of reading through daily read-a-louds, library story-time and exposure to print rich classrooms. They are exposed to songs, stories, phonics and critical thinking that develops their expressive and receptive language skills, preparing them for reading independence. In the writing center, students express themselves by drawing, writing stories and letters. They develop their fine motor skills by experimenting with a variety of instruments, including playdough and foam.

Colorful, oddly shaped manipulatives catch the eye of the students as they come into the classroom each morning. "This looks easy! Oh, maybe the blue one fits over there. The teacher said I should look for a pattern, and I think I see it now."

Numbers are all around us! Our budding mathematicians soon discover patterns, sequencing and number concepts through the use of manipulative toys, puzzles, pattern materials, graphing mats, blocks, rhymes and games.

Mixing, stirring, pouring, to create class play dough is a craft the ECC students know well. Will it be blue, yellow, or pink with sparkles? Using the perfect recipe, the students help transform a few simple ingredients into the most perfectly soft and squishy play dough.

Young children learn best by “doing” and in science, our students are hands-on and elbows deep as they engage in experiments that teach them to question, explore and create. From learning about plants and seeds, creatures, animal habitats, weather, nutrition and magnets, they experience the joy of discovery in very active lessons and projects.

A field trip to the grocery store to meet some community helpers is an exciting adventure for the students. Sometimes, they come to school to visit the students and teach them about their jobs. The fireman was especially exciting as he had the children acting out safety procedures and he brought his dog, Sparky!

Students learn about their community heroes, including fire and police officers as they explore topics of safety and emergency preparedness. They also explore their family roots: where they came from with the use of maps, interviews with parents and grandparents, stories and pictures of travels, cultures and religious traditions.