Early childhood education involves the child physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually. It is our goal at TAA to provide a program that gives parents encouragement, support, and training as they help their children grow and develop. In the words of Ellen G. White, “Too much importance cannot be placed on the early training of children. The lessons learned, the habits formed, during the years of infancy and childhood, have more to do with the formation of the character and the direction of the life than have all the instruction and training of after years.” (Education, p. 380).
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An open door policy allows parents and family to spend time in the classroom.
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Pre-K students must be at least four (4) years old and fully toilet trained, including the ability to wipe themselves without assistance.
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Hours are Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. – noon, with daycare options each day.
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Learning occurs through experimenting, discovery, and exploration of new materials, which include but are not limited to paint, sand, play dough, and glue.
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Children participate in music class twice a week, during which the teacher focuses on capturing and developing the natural rhythm, confidence, and musical ability of each child.
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School-wide and classroom field trips are provided on a monthly basis.
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Daily notes home, text messages, and phone calls keep parents engaged in the classroom environment.
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Parents are encouraged and welcome to schedule additional meetings with the teacher as needed and to take advantage of parent-teacher conferences twice a year.
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The Pre-K child will learn some of the following skills:
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Reading readiness: listening to and following directions, left to right progression when reading and writing, letter identification, and letter sounds.
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Math concepts: patterning, sorting, shapes, number recognition, number writing.
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Fine motor skills: manipulating small objects, tracing, painting, coloring, and pencil gripping.
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Awareness of self: respect of self and others as well as of the school community, waiting one’s turn to speak and play, and completing daily tasks.
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Both Pre-K and Kindergarten students are encouraged to complete home reading logs. Research has shown that the single most important thing that a parent can do to help their child acquire language, prepare their child for school, and instill a love of learning in their child, is to read to them. (Russ, et al., 2007.)
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Kindergarten language arts curriculum consists of reading, writing, and phonics. As the children explore literature-based themes and interact with their teachers and peers, the primary focus is to help make the invisible God visible to each child and to help the children learn just how much God loves them.
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Bible is taught through songs, stories, role-play, and community service projects.
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Children explore centers daily, learning about the world and about how to work and play well with others. Centers consist of a dramatic play space, blocks, computers, and a reading corner; writing, science, and math spaces; and a puzzle and game center.
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Play, an important aspect of early childhood development, is also used as a vehicle for social, emotional, and cognitive development.
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PE, offered daily, encourages students to get physically active through organized games, running, and structured exercise and helps develop concepts of sportsmanship and playing cooperatively with others.
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Pre-K and Kindergarten students are paired with buddies from the middle school and high school in which the pair spends time together each week doing a variety of activities, such as:
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Chapel every week creates an opportunity for all elementary students and early childhood education students to come together in Christian fellowship.
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Daily morning worship provides a time for the whole school to pray and sing together as a community.