Fearless Preschool

problem solving skills, invite teamwork and cooperation, and improve gross and fine motor skills. Though Kindergarten Readiness is our MAIN educational focus, learning is not based on rote drill and memorization. KEY POINTS of Fearless Preschool Education

● At Fearless Preschool, we assume that children are born intelligent, they simply learn in different ways and progress at their own pace. ● We rely on hands-on, concrete materials to introduce new concepts. Investigation and research are experiences that actively engage the student.

● Students develop a love of the natural world; outdoor education is a very important part of our growing curriculum.

● Students learn that mistakes are natural steps in the learning process. ● Students learn to collaborate and work together on major projects. They strive for their personal best in this non-graded environment. ● Families are important in these caring environments, and volunteering in the classroom is not only welcomed, but encouraged. Education Goals for Kindergarten Readiness

Many kids who are ready for kindergarten can say the alphabet and count to 10. Kindergarten readiness includes motor skills like holding a pencil and using scissors. Self-care like getting dressed and not needing help in the bathroom are also important kindergarten skills. When kids are getting ready for kindergarten, many families wonder about academic skills. But self-care and social and emotional skills are important for kindergarten

readiness, too. Please read on to see exactly what we will be incorporating into this whole child approach. Language Skills

● Speak in complete sentences and be understood by others most of the time

● Use words to express needs and wants

● Understand two-step directions

● Make comparisons and describe relationships between objects like big/little, under/over, and first/last

Reading Readiness Skills

● Enjoy listening to stories

● Know how to find the first page of a book and which way to flip the pages

● Recognize familiar logos and signs, like stop signs

● Recite the alphabet and identify most of the letters

● Recognize and try to write their own name

● Recognize when two words rhyme (like cat and bat)

● Start to connect letter sounds to letters (like the sound of the first letter in their name)

● Draw a picture to help express an idea

Math Skills

● Count from 1 to 10 without skipping numbers

● Match a number to a group of five or fewer items (“I see three cats”) ● Recognize and name basic shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle) ● Understand more than and less than

● Arrange three objects in the right order (like from smallest to biggest) ● Name or point to the colors in a box of eight crayons

Self-Care Skills

● Use the bathroom and wash up on their own

● Get dressed on their own (but may still need help with buttons, zippers, and shoelaces)

● Know and can say their first and last name and age

Social and Emotional Skills

● Separate from a parent or caregiver without getting overly upset

● Interact with other kids

● Pay attention for at least five minutes to a task an adult is leading, like listening to directions for an activity or discussing the day’s weather during circle time

Fine Motor Skills

● Use a pencil or crayon with some control

● Use scissors

● Copy basic shapes

● Make distinct marks that look like letters and write some actual letters, especially the ones in their name

● Put together a simple puzzle

Gross Motor Skills

● Run

● Jump with feet together

● Hop on one foot

● Climb stairs

● Bounce a ball and try to catch it

It’s VERY important to remember that kids develop skills at different rates. It’s not unusual for kids to have strong skills in one area, and weak skills in other areas. MOVEMENT

Students are provided Creative Movement classes each week for 30 minutes, provided by a Fearless Dance instructor! Creative Movement is a joyful way for children to explore movement through music, develop physical skills, channel energy, stimulate imagination and promote creativity. Your child will be given a chance to show off their dancing skills in a performance for their community, and in our optional, end of the year Fearless Dance Showcase! ADVENTURE

At Fearless Preschool, we are fortunate to have an 8 acre homestead to explore. We will go on adventures in the woods, tell stories in our sweet-pea Tee-Pee, plant and harvest in our raised garden beds and get muddy catching tadpoles. We will be catching, releasing, raising and caring for; ducks, tadpoles, eagles, owls, woodpeckers, tadpoles, green tree frogs, and trout. We are growing and planting, harvesting and preparing; sunflowers, sweet peas, beans, cucumbers, cilantro, dill, onions, squash, pumpkins, corn, blackberries, peppers, and a variety of flowers. We also have a Wildlife Ecologist on staff! She began working as a volunteer on the homestead and with staff, in 2019. She will be helping us with our themed science projects during the year, taking us on student-led interpretive walks, and is actively involved in our gardening projects! FIELD TRIPS

Teachers are encouraged to take their classes on educationally oriented or service learning field trips. For all field trips, private transportation will need to be provided or arranged by the parent/guardian. Fearless Staff is unable to accommodate transportation by company or private vehicle for any student enrolled at Fearless Preschool. Information, Policies and Procedures

POTTY TRAINING

All students at Fearless Preschool must be potty trained and able to use the restroom independently, before school starts. In an effort to keep tuition costs down, we will not be employing staff for potty training or diaper changes. If an accident occurs that needs more than a simple change, you will be contacted by our owner or director for instructions on how to proceed. There are no exceptions to this rule. SPECIAL NEEDS

We are happily inclusive of children of all abilities! If your child has special needs, we will set up a meeting with the owner and teachers to meet your child. If your child needs more attention/help than our teacher can provide with the other children in the class, we ask that you pay independently for an aide for your child. As a small preschool, we are not equipped nor can we afford to supply an aide ourselves at this time. We do have suggestions on who to contact if you need to secure an aide.