Programs | Creative Mind Learning Centers

Programs

At Creative Mind Learning Center, we provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum, by which children are encouraged to learn through activities that are appropriate for their ages, and individual stages of developmental domains.

We provide an accelerated curriculum with plenty of hands-on activities along with, one-on-one interaction. One of our primary goals is to prepare children for preschool and kindergarten by emphasizing pre-reading, pre-writing, and pre-math skills while creating enthusiasm for learning. Another goal is to help children develop social skills, by indoor and outdoor play, combined with a variety of classroom activities.

Child Placement

Children are assigned to classrooms according to age and development. Our youngest classroom is designed for infants 0 through 2 years of age. Infants in this class will be given the opportunity to explore age-appropriate toys and materials.

The teachers in these classrooms will work with parents to implement a potty-training plan for any child who is not yet potty trained. However, if your child is not potty-trained at this age, he/she will still be allowed to graduate to the Preschool class and we will work alongside the parents on potty training.

Our Pre-K classes are for age 2 until the child starts Kindergarten. These classes will focus more intensely on preparing children for Kindergarten. Teachers will implement advanced curriculum and lesson plans and will conduct regular child assessments.

Weekly homework assignments should be anticipated at this level, and we encourage all parents to ensure that assignments are completed regularly. All children should be potty-trained in this age group. Normally we will incorporate the 2’s & 3-year old’s class for children that are not quite ready to enter the Pre-K class.

Advance Curriculum

Our preschool curriculum integrates a wealth of intriguing and engaging learning activities that stimulate brain development in children. The curriculum is carefully researched and thoughtfully taught. We approach every day with imagination, innovation and most of all, fun! Studies have found that learning improves when children are engaged in an enjoyable and meaning full activity.

That is why every lesson includes a variety of intriguing activities that stimulate early brain development with a focus on creative play. Additionally, we spend a great deal of time just listening to and talking with each child. This type of interaction encourages the development of language& literacy, social skills and enhances the development of positive self-esteem.

Your child will be introduced to new activities and experiences that are developmentally appropriate as each child attains new abilities and capacities. The curriculum covers the following areas of concentration:

Art

Colors, “child-centered” art (process not product), painting, drawing, coloring, writing.

Music

Singing, movement/dance, instrument play, following instructions, echoing.

Science

Early concepts in plants, animals, weather, ecosystems, conservation, change of state, gravity, buoyancy, color mixing, evaporation, geology, and much more.

Language

Continual “read-aloud” by teachers, pre-reading skills, vocabulary building, letter recognition, letter sounds, writing.

Mathematics

Shapes, sequencing, patterning, matching, weights & measurements, counting, parts vs whole, number recognition, beginning addition/subtraction concepts.

Play

“Acting out” stories, dress-up, encouraging imagination.

Gross Motor Skills

Indoor and outdoor play to encourage hand-eye coordination, muscular strength and development.

Fine Motor Skills

Activities to promote hand-eye coordination and finger strength necessary for writing, grasping, lacing, etc.

Social Studies

Safety, community helpers, self-esteem, families, etc.

Parent Participation

Parent participation is essential in preparing your child for kindergarten. As your child progresses through our program, parent support will become increasingly important especially during potty training. Our goal is to have each child prepared for success as they enter Kindergarten, and in order to ensure this, we need our parents’ full support in assisting in occasional homework assignments and participating in various classroom activities. We encourage parents to maintain open communication with our teachers and to volunteer in your child’s class whenever possible. If we work as a team, your child will exceed the highest expectations.

Infant Room Cirriculum

We at Creative Mind Learning Centers are responsive professionals concerned about all aspects of children’s development. Our infant and toddler classroom setting is where teachers lovingly, consistently, and creatively support children’s natural desire to be active learners. Infant teachers maintain an overall routine and try to keep it as consistent as possible, while flexing to accommodate individual children’s natural rhythms and temperaments.

The primary infant and toddler daily routine components are:

Arrival and departures – Infant teachers work with parents to ensure that arrivals and departures are pleasant and reassuring for children, forming an attachment to a primary caregiver, building relationship with other adults
Group Times – In small groups of older infants and toddlers, teachers provide a particular set of materials for children to explore in a common activity. Have shared experiences with other children, children remain free to make choices about materials and how to use them.
Choice Time – Attentive Infant teachers offer emotional and physical support to children as the children play and explore their environment at their own pace.
Outside Time – When not in an infant teacher’s arms, young infants who are not yet crawling will spend time on a blanket lying on their backs and looking around, reaching for objects, and feeling the sun and air. Older infants sit and explore toys and natural objects, crawl, and pull themselves up to a stand.
Bodily Care Routines – Frequency of naps is based around each child’s individual needs, with quiet alternatives provided for non-nappers, adults also accommodate children’s individual styles of waking up, and adults take cues from children about feedings and diaper changes rather than asserting control to make the schedule more convenient for themselves.
Transitions – It is flexible, based on children’s needs and engagement in their play, and the shift in events or activities should be kept low-key and comfortable, caregiver avoid unnecessary transitions, such as having children remove all their outdoor wear after playing outside and then putting it back again to go home after a brief indoor group time.

Parent Involvement and Communication

We have an open-door policy in our classrooms. Parent/guardians are encouraged and welcome to visit and spend time with their child. For some children, a second goodbye is more than they can handle. If your leaving is stressful to your child, it may be best not to come visit unless you are planning to take your child with you when you leave.

Transitions – It is flexible, based on children’s needs and engagement in their play, and the shift in events or activities should be kept low-key and comfortable, caregiver avoid unnecessary transitions, such as having children remove all their outdoor wear after playing outside and then putting it back again to go home after a brief indoor group time.

Parent Involvement and Communication