At 3 years old, children discover and create. We encourage them to do it all.

Our Preschool Curriculum is designed to inspire children to explore and progress at their own pace. It encourages children to discover their own style as they create opportunities, accomplish tasks and learn new skills. At Staten Island Early Childhood Center, children learn throughout the day, including playtime, because the opportunity to learn is always present.

Our school understands that it is an exciting and challenging time for children. At this age they are naturally inquisitive, take pride in doing things independently and love to be praised for it! They are learning new words, simple sentences and nonverbal communication, as well as developing and refining gross and fine motor skills.

Areas of Development

The preschool day care curriculum focuses on your three-year-old child’s primary areas of development.

Language Arts and Literacy: Our curriculum includes many opportunities for 3-year-old children to listen to stories, retell them, sing and say simple rhymes.  Children are encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, explain feelings and talk about what they are doing as they learn. Children begin to recognize print through the learning center signs and begin to identify letters and their names. Dramatic Play, Blocks and Transportation and the Library center are a few examples that encourage language development through play.

Mathematics: In our curriculum, activities are written to give children the opportunity to sort objects and learn how to sequence items. Children will practice counting beads and blocks, and begin solving simple math problems. Our teachers will also work with the children to identify similarities and differences within a group of objects.

Science: At our school, children are given the opportunity to practice observation and problem solving skills. They will be able to observe what happens when a piece of celery is placed in red food coloring. Children will learn about people, plants, animals and weather. Our teachers will also help children recognize the parts of the human body. 

Social and Emotional Development: Staten Island Early Childhood Center provides an ideal community atmosphere to learn, play, take turns and share with friends. In the learning centers, children have the opportunity to participate in many activities with friends. Our teachers will also be there to help guide children to develop a better sense of self. They model appropriate ways to express emotions so that children will learn how to communicate effectively. 

Gross and Fine Motor Development: At Staten Island Early Childhood Center, there are many opportunities for children to work on gross motor skills. We provide the opportunities to practice walking in a straight line, walking backwards, jumping, throwing, catching, balancing on one foot and hopping. At Staten Island Early Childhood Center, our teachers will also encourage confidence and support so that children have the motivation to continue to develop new skills.

Our teachers also support fine motor development by providing appropriate materials, such as playdough, crayons, markers, puzzles, etc. Children are encouraged to practice scribbling, and some of those scribbles will begin to resemble letters and words. Children are also given the opportunity to feed themselves during our family style meals, zip up or button their coats, and wash and dry their hands independently.

Character Education: 
Staten Island Early Childhood Center believes it is important to introduce children to a wide variety of character traits. Each month we focus on a positive value, such as honesty, generosity or patience, to help them better understand the society we live in and to help children develop into caring adults.