The Perth Amboy Public Schools Early Childhood Education Program represents the district's commitment to providing Perth Amboy children with high quality, comprehensive early childhood educational experiences.
Our preschool program provides young children with opportunities for exploration, learning, and adventure in an environment that is stimulating, fun-filled, loving, caring and secure. The curriculum design, environment, and teaching strategies are matched to the needs of young children and geared to foster growth and development. The Perth Amboy Early Childhood Program is based on the best theories, research and practices available.
The
Creative Curriculum is the core of our preschool program. This framework rests upon research-based theory and developmentally appropriate practice. Our approach involves teachers and families as critical partners in the important work of helping children grow and develop. Throughout our program, attention is given to four developmental areas of learning: social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. Classroom interest areas and a wide range of supportive materials provide hands-on opportunities for teaching and learning within a context that provides for the growth and development of the whole child.
Specifically, we:
- Provide hands-on experiences with real, concrete, and relevant materials for children to explore and manipulate.
- Provide ample opportunities for children to interact with both adults and other children in conversations and discussions so that children will learn to use oral language expressively and functionally. Both teacher-guided and child-guided experiences are important for children's development and learning.
- Provide functional learning centers that contain appropriate learning activities such as writing, reading, drawing, oral discussion, projects, and constructing.
- Provide opportunities for problem solving, exploration, and discovery.
- Provide opportunities for children to construct new knowledge and skills, based on what they already know and can do.
- Provide playtime as a tool for learning and developing social skills, such as cooperation. Play promotes key abilities that enable children to learn successfully.
- Provide an environment where children's individual differences and cultural experiences are respected and valued.
Our program allots for extended periods of time when children may select activities to practice from among the rich choices that teachers have prepared in various learning centers in the classroom. Learning centers that are aligned with our curriculum include specific materials and supplies that are organized to enhance learning. Learning centers provide opportunities for children to reinforce skills and discover new information through the manipulation of real, concrete and relevant materials.
Centers invite children to direct their own play. Children are less likely to have conflicts when they are playing and investigating their own interests and constructing knowledge in ways that are meaningful to them. Changes in the materials used in each center match changes in the units of study and the progress children make.
