Preschool

Faith-Based Values

 

The Christian message of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness is the foundation of all learning at Open Arms. The Preschool program at Open Arms encourages children to grow in all developmental areas while experiencing God’s love. On a daily basis there is a Bible lesson, carried out through music & movement, language development, motor skills activities, creative arts, social/emotional development, sensory exploration, and outdoor play. The children also attend chapel every Wednesday with the pastor where age appropriate materials are used to teach God’s word. Most importantly, the teachers at Open Arms incorporate Christ’s love into their lesson plans and demonstrate His love throughout each and every day.

 

In a safe, secure, and nurturing environment, children of this age have an increased attention span, activity level, and need to satisfy their curiosity. We create a more structured environment, increase opportunities for exploration, and place an emphasis on cognitive skills.

 

The curriculum concentrates on faith development, pre-reading, pre-mathematics, science, creative arts and music. Planned activities reinforce the natural learning that is a part of every activity in a child’s day. The children select activities from a variety of interest centers that reflect a weekly theme. Learning activities alternate with active and directed activities. On occasion, students attend educational field trips and other special experiences that extend the children’s knowledge of the world around them.

Open Arms Learning in Preschool

 

Quality child care begins with quality programming.

 

The One In Christ curriculum gives Preschool children the opportunity to grow and thrive in a Christian environment while meeting their developmental levels. The curriculum uses a research-based content approach to early learning based on leading theorists in the field such as Vygotsky, Erikson, Piaget, Maslow, and Gardner. The Preschool level is arranged in twelve themed units that take students through the Bible chronologically with weekly Bible narratives. Each weekly lesson contains a Bible verse that relates to the themes and applications of that lesson.

Units of Learning in Preschool

 

We follow the Georgia Early Learning Development Standards (GELDS)

  • Approaches to Learning
  • Cognitive (Arts, Science, Social Studies)
  • Language
  • Physical (fine and gross motor)
  • Social and Emotional

 

In the Preschool program each child’s developmental growth and development are assessed on an ongoing basis. Each child is assessed on their developmental skills using anecdotal notes, artifacts, and observations.  Parent-Teacher Conferences are held for each child twice yearly.  The teachers use the information collected in the Child Profile to individualize instruction so that the growth of each child is maximized.

 

Teachers use the Ticks and Tots app to post updates, photos and activities of the children each day.