Program Descriptions

Infants

At the Advantage Learning Center we understand that infancy is a time of rapid development. In the infant classroom we provide a warm and loving environment.

• Physical needs are taken care of promptly, following the child’s cues for individual preferences in food, sleep patterns and stimulation.
• While meeting the physical needs, the staff talk, sing, and play with each infant.
• Infants are given room to move and explore in safe surroundings.
• Teachers provide daily written communication about feeding, diapering, napping and other daily activities. We work closely with families to assure continuity of care between home and the center.

Toddlers

We recognize that toddlers are striving to be self-reliant. The toddler rooms are designed to offer a safe, secure and loving environment where the children engage in challenging and meaningful activities at their own pace.

• Toddlers learn through exploration, observation and play. Opportunities are provided for pretending, participating in small groups and playing by themselves throughout the day.
• Large motor experiences are provided indoors and outdoors in a safe environment.
• Many opportunities for small motor development are offered. Toddlers explore using hands and fingers in a variety of age-appropriate activities.
• Toddlers have opportunities to experience songs, books, finger plays, and interactive games. The children are read to individually and in small groups. Books are always accessible for independent exploration.
• Daily communication is provided.

Preschool

In the preschool classrooms, the children learn to be a cooperative part of the group. Teachers help children learn to respect others and to work as a team, fostering a sense of community within the classroom. 

• Activities are planned to provide opportunities and experiences that incorporate large group and small group time. Curriculum content areas include math, science, literacy, technology, social studies and the arts. These are not isolated areas of learning. Instead, teachers develop projects that expand children's skills and knowledge across disciplines, creating an integrated curriculum.
• Materials that support fine-motor and large-motor development are offered. Well supervised physical activity is offered through the day. Dance, exercise, games and playing on the playground equipment promotes large-motor coordination. Fine-motor dexterity is attained through learning self-help skills, experimenting with writing and mastering small manipulatives.
• Language and literacy is developed through conversational experiences, through teachers reading books aloud during large group time and in individualized settings daily and through classroom environments rich in print. 
  

Pre-Kindergarten

The pre-kindergarten classroom environment is more structured than our preschool classrooms. Learning takes place through a variety of hand-on experiences and exploration. Our classroom is limited to seventeen children, which allows for more individualized attention.

• Children are encouraged to begin understanding how they fit into the classroom, the community and their world. This is done by providing children the opportunity to participate in classroom decisions and plan classroom activities.
• Language and literacy skills at this level include having access to various types of books, including storybooks, factual books, number and letter books. Conversations about the content of a book, discussions about linking books to other aspects of the curriculum and adding new words to increase vocabulary are provided by the teachers.
• A computer center is available to the children, promoting basic computer skills as well as supporting other skills related to math, science and reading.
• Daily opportunities are offered to fine tune large-motor skills and explore creative expression through dance, music and art.
• Our pre-kindergarten program focuses on kindergarten readiness in a developmentally appropriate environment. 

Summer Camp

Summer camp gives children ages 5-7 an active, memorable and fun summer.

• A minimum of 3 field trips are taken every week with related activities including books, art, cooking and other fun projects
• Transportation is provided in a spacious bus with built-in child safety seats.
• Trips include museums, live theater, historical sites, mountain hikes, swimming pools, recreation centers, the zoo, sporting events and many other places that children love to visit.