3K Preschool Curriculum, Madison

Kids Junction 3K Preschool Learning Center’s goal is to have every child’s day filled with learning experiences while meeting the needs of each child’s individual development. We have combined some of the best curriculum to deliver an all-encompassing learning experience.

Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) – WMELS provides us with developmental continuums from which we can create individual goals for the children to help us assess their age-appropriate and milestone development.

Assessments & Parent Conferences – We believe that assessing individual progress is the key to planning programs that respond to the needs, interests and abilities of children in any classroom. With ongoing assessment, our teachers can focus on all aspects of a child’s development. At the beginning of the school year curriculum goals and objectives are set in place and throughout the school-year we collect work samples and document facts and skill levels for each child. In the fall and spring we provide conferences for parents to meet with their child’s teacher and review their child’s progress.

Play Based Learning – Kids Junction Preschool places a priority on giving children several opportunities for play during the day. Play is central to children’s healthy development and learning during the preschool years.

Character First! – 24 character qualities are introduced to the children throughout the course of the year. Each quality is combined with an animal and is enhanced with “I Will” statements to help the children understand their meaning. Puppets, stories, crafts, and reminders throughout each day encourage the children to lay the foundation of good character development!

Frog Street Threes – Frog Street Threes is a comprehensive curriculum designed specifically for 3 year olds ages 36-48 moths. This curriculum has themes with differentiated activities in the area of the five developmental and WMELS domains: cognitive, language, physical, social/emotional, and creative.

Learning Without Tears – This uses multi-sensory techniques for letter building and recognition to teach handwriting to children of every age. Instruction begins by first introducing and reinforcing the pincer grip (proper grip for holding a writing utensil) before moving into letter formation. Learning without Tears also uses “Mat Man” to help reinforce the child’s self-image and portrait.

Literacy and Language – Through storytelling, finger plays sign language and child/teacher interaction children will begin to develop their language skills through repetition and conversation. These are crucial tools to give children the opportunity to express themselves using language.

Numbers and Math – Counting and sorting are integrated throughout our learning experiences. We use everyday materials such as cheerios and raisins to teach the concepts of counting and sorting. Small motor development is improved as we bring out the play-doh and work with our hands to make shapes and numbers.

Science – Kids Junction science is taught through observation and hands-on experiments. The children explore the world around them.

Social Studies – The scope and sequence begins by learning “All About Me” and continues to expand out to the formation of friends and bonds with other children. It also involves learning how the decision making process works in a group setting. It covers development of social skills, personal responsibility, sharing, cooperation, dealing with emotions, accepting differences between people, and learning a sense of community and responsibility to the community. using cause and effect experiments. They discover texture, explore with their five senses, chart observations, and do lots of measuring during cooking experiments. Children also learn to care for living things in their environment.

Music and Movement – Music and movement take place throughout the day. It is an integral part of transitions, free play and storytelling. It enhances language development, rhyming, and hand-eye coordination.

Music (special) – Music is a language everyone speaks and Music and More takes your child on an adventure in music. We travel through the world of dance, instruments, finger plays, rhymes, an rhythms. Puppets and stories visit our imagination during each class. With your child we celebrate with songs that continue to sing in our souls for a lifetime!

Art Class (special) – Once a week the children explore the world of art with our Art Cart. Our art teacher plans and prepares a process oriented art project for the children to try in their classroom with their teacher. They learn about technique, value, space, form, line, shapes, and mixing colors using a wide variety of materials such as liquid water color and tempera paints, collage materials, oil pastels etc. The children are encouraged to try and do their best. All art is beautiful no matter how abstract it may be.

Crafts – Crafts are hands-on activities that expand imaginations and exercises creativity. It is incorporated on a daily basis into the classroom lesson plan. Whether it is painting with hands, puffy paint, or drawing a picture of an apple. Children learn that all of their creations are pieces of beauty.

Physical Education Class (special) – In physical education class, lovingly referred to as gym class, we use a combination of structured and instructed motion and play to develop a surprising variety of things in our three and four year olds: development, control, and function for both gross and fine motor skills, social skills, boundaries, spatial awareness, listening skills, body awareness, locomotor and non-locomotor skills, level and tempo awareness, rhythm, object manipulation, creative movement, balance, directionality, hand eye-coordination, , cooperation, tracking, and so, so much more! For our curriculum, we use SPARK Programs, a series of lessons developed specifically for this age group.

Programs and Special Events – In physical education class, lovingly referred to as gym class, we use a combination of structured and instructed motion and play to develop a surprising variety of things in our three and four year olds: development, control, and function for both gross and fine motor skills, social skills, boundaries, spatial awareness, listening skills, body awareness, locomotor and non-locomotor skills, level and tempo awareness, rhythm, object manipulation, creative movement, balance, directionality, hand eye-coordination, , cooperation, tracking, and so, so much more! For our curriculum, we use SPARK Programs, a series of lessons developed specifically for this age group.