Life At Preschool

At Noah’s Ark Preschool, the staff see themselves as partners with parents in

the education of the child. Therefore, at Noah’s Ark we want to be a team

working together so that your child can acquire an excellent Christian education

and be one step closer to being the perfect servant that God wants him

or her to be.

The Preschool program is planned to cater for each child’s interests and

needs and to foster the development of certain abilities, attitudes and skills

which will assist the child’s educational development.

At Preschool, children learn by participating in a great variety of activities

both within and outside the Preschool grounds. The most natural way for a

child of this age is to learn through play, by observation and by doing things

themselves. This learning will be flexible in order to cater for the interests,

needs and abilities of the children.

At Preschool children are encouraged to:

• express themselves and communicate with others;

• form basic concepts which help them understand their world;

• develop self-confidence;

• make friends;

• share and co-operate with others;

• develop physical skills and

develop a positive attitude to learning.

Many people still remain unsure as to just what Preschool is all about. Preschool

is not "child minding" – it is about the development of important skills

– those which are needed in everyday living, in relationships with other people,

and in being ready for school. We strive to have each child working to his

or her full potential, in all areas, and to have them feel good about themselves,

and the prospect of school.

A child’s play is his/her work. It is the one way he/she has of making sense

of the world in which the child lives, and of developing the child’s skills –

emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically. Due to the unique nature

and capabilities of each child, we cannot expect them to have all reached the

same level at the same time. What we can strive for though, is to capture the

learning interests and curiosity of each child, through the educational experiences

we offer, and through providing an environment in which the child

feels free to explore and learn without fear of failure. Our staff is guided by

the ABEKA Preschool Curriculum.As we are working towards developing all these skills in your child, we run a

program around what is known as the "process-centered" approach – that is

– what is extremely important is the process by which the child discovers

and learns. If we can instill good ways of learning things now, it will certainly

help them in their efforts at school, and all through life.

Therefore, as Early Childhood Educators we hope to:

• provide an environment which is Christ centered and based on the gospel

values;

• lead the children to a deep respect for their school and an understanding

of their school verse, Isaiah 40:31.

• provide a learning environment, which encourages children to participate

in concrete activities through active learning experiences and based on their

interest and curiosity.

• create a learning environment which is welcoming, safe, fun and caters

for the needs and interests of individuals;

• plan meaningful experiences which are based on our observation of individual

children’s learning;

• support parents;

• be happy, smile a lot and celebrate all learning experiences – (no matter

how big or how small);

• provide an environment where the children are able to think for themselves

and learn with, and from one another;

• provide a program which is based on Developmentally Appropriate

Early Childhood Teaching Practice.

Our Philosophy for Preschool!

We believe:

• that children should be valued as individuals;

• that children need to feel safe, supported and happy all the time;

• that PLAYING and TALKING are the ways in which young children

learn about themselves and the world around them;

• that all learning should be meaningful and fun;

• that children are actively involved in learning;

• that children learn through hands-on experiences;

• that children learn through taking risks, making mistakes and celebrating success;

• that what children CAN DO rather than what children cannot do are

the starting points in their learning;

• that learning should cater for the needs and interests of individuals;

• that the process of learning is more important than the end product;

• that children develop their Spiritual, Social, Emotional, Physical and

Cognitive skills at differing rates;

• all aspects of a child’s development are equally important and interwoven;

• that children need time and space to produce work of quality and depth;

• that children need to develop a sense of responsibility for their own

learning;

• that children who are encouraged to think for themselves are more

likely to act independently;

• that children learn from everything that happens to them and do not

naturally separate their learning into subjects;

• that parents are the first educators of children and have a vital part to

play in the establishment of their child’s learning environment.