Our Curriculum

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

– Albert Einstein

Bert and Ernie’s Preschool values and respects each child as an individual and aims to cultivate an environment of imagination and creativity. We realize all children grow and develop at their own pace which is why we provide a positive, encouraging, and respectful environment for children to explore the world around them. We recognize that learning is not linear across all areas of development simultaneously, but rather children grow in specific areas before moving on to other areas.

All of our classrooms, from infancy to school-aged, are structured to be learning-rich environments where each child has an opportunity to learn, play, and grow in every area of development every day. Teachers recognize that children’s work is learning through play which is why they encourage imagination and creativity at every turn with thoughtful and purposeful activities and learning opportunities in every classroom.

The children’s creativity and imagination can be observed in every classroom in multiple ways:

Children being “parents” to baby dolls
Children climbing into cardboard boxes that are “rocket ships” or “racecars”
Children working together to create a “river” that cascades down the slope outside
Children playing restaurant in the dramatic play area with menus they drew themselves
Children using paint colors of their choosing to express their emotions
Children mixing dirt and water in the mud kitchen outside to bake “birthday cakes” for their friends
Children drawing with chalk outside

Our preschool classrooms follow a structured curriculum that utilizes weekly themes to expose children to a wide range of subjects and follows a weekly schedule where each day focuses on one learning domain (language, math, etc.) as it pertains to the weekly theme. We also utilize the highly regarded Zoophonics program throughout our school year to introduce letters and letter sounds using a multisensory approach that gets their gears and bodies moving! Lastly, we have bimonthly music class by classroom that exposes children to different instruments and music styles, rhythm, rhyme, as well as an opportunity to dance and get those wiggles out!

For example, one of our weekly themes is the Rainforest with a focus on the letter L which is Lizzy Lizard in the Zoophonics program. For language and literacy, we read books about the rainforest and animals that live there, including lizards. For science, we discuss the layers of the rainforest. Children make their own rainforest inspired snack and create rain sticks for cooking and music. Children identify shapes and colors in the rainforest for math. Then the children pretend to be frogs and play leap frog more gross motor development.

Aside from our structured curriculum, our environment and philosophy encourage social and life skills during common interactions as well. Social skills are any skills that facilitate interaction and communication with others. Life skills relate to those skills that are necessary for a child to deal with the challenges of everyday life. Our low teacher-child ratios allow teachers to help children find their words and navigate challenges effectively with teachers and peers using a collaborative approach that emphasizes respect.

We aim to foster the following social and life skills while your child attends school with us:

Ability to listen to their bodies and emotions (Am I tired? Hungry? Mad? Happy? Sad?)
Ability to communicate their emotions with others
Independence and self sufficiency through feeding and dressing themselves, learning personal hygiene, and being responsible for their belongings
Demonstrating cooperative behavior
Solving problems in a courteous manner
Having empathy for and being aware of others
Respecting others and property
Demonstrating good manners
Understanding self and have a sense of value and autonomy

All of these skills create capable, competent children that feel more prepared to take on the world ahead of them!