Program

Early Years

An Extraordinary Start in Life

Our preschool through kindergarten is affectionately referred to as our Early Years program. Do not be fooled into thinking that their age means their learning experience is any less robust than their older counterparts. Taking full advantage of our students’ natural love of learning, our enthusiastic faculty engage them in exciting hands-on projects and immersive educational experiences, including an array of enriching field trips. Each classroom’s lead teacher and teaching assistant guide students in discovering their talents and in developing social, emotional and physical skills. In a creative and celebratory environment, students learn not only from their homeroom teachers and specialty subject teachers, but also their “big buddies” in fourth and fifth grades and in our Middle School.

Angie Cross
Preschool-2nd Grade Division Director

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Program Highlights

List of 7 items.

Process-Oriented Art

Students learn about form, scale and color using a wide range of professional-grade materials such as acrylics and tempera paint, clay, chalk and pastels to explore their creativity. During the early years, they are introduced to the biographies and work of a variety of artists ranging from Cassatt to Alma Thomas to van Gogh.
Voice & Choice

Our classrooms are teacher-guided environments, providing children with the gift of charting their own course. Self-directed centers ranging in interests from Lego and block building, to sand and light tables, to math manipulatives and dramatic play rotations, allow them to learn through play and exploration of their interests.
Music Education

Experiencing and creating music and rhythmic movement patterns is central to the development of the whole child. Our youngest students learn a repertory of songs, singing games and easy rhythms. The children have opportunities to perform in our Veterans Day Celebration, Spring and Winter concerts, and Grandparents and Special Friends Day in addition to singing for guests at a local senior center.
Public Speaking

Step into any preschool, prekindergarten or kindergarten classroom, and you’ll find children speaking in front of their classmates as they share stories and accept questions about their show & tell or answer a special question like, “What is your favorite thing about yourself?” The roots of oration are planted in an informal setting where students become comfortable taking the stage and learning to speak clearly and with purpose when addressing an audience. Starting in prekindergarten, students take part in class plays that are performed for the parents.
Print-Rich Environment and Early Literacy

In order for students to become confident and accomplished readers and communicators, they interact with many forms of print, including signs, labeled centers, word walls, labeled murals, bulletin boards and more; including a weekly visit to the school library. After mastering the upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet using the Sound Sensible program, students then refine their sound associations and begin working through short decodable readers in kindergarten using programmatic elements researched through the science of reading.
Swimming Program

Our prekindergarten through first grade students enjoy an early childhood swim program focused on water comfort, safety, and learn-to-swim skills. This weekly program is part of our physical education curriculum and is taught within Ida Lee Park Recreation Center’s fun and supportive environment. This school-day experience is differentiated by the trained instructional staff and is often a highlight among both parents and students.
Experiential Learning

Our students’ first steps in the journey of self-discovery are based in making connections with real-life experiences and people. A plethora of guest speakers including the mayor of Leesburg, a veterinarian, doctor, police officer and firefighter allows for a deeper understanding of how they each give back to our community. An outdoor hike at a nature center incorporates the children’s studies of the life cycles of plants, insects and animals, as well as the importance of habitat and life cycle changes. Field trips to the theater, local farms, and even the Museum of Natural History in kindergarten provide immersive learning that connects with the classroom curriculum.