Curriculum Overview
Our curriculum is based on best educational practice and attention to the whole child.
Our teachers are intentional in planning a daily schedule and environmentally-rich curriculum that honors a child’s individual needs and interests. The curriculum supports success and challenge at every level of development (cognitive, social, emotional, and physical) and is integrated across disciplines (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, music, art, creative movement).
We balance opportunities to learn individually and in groups, both inside the classroom and through interaction with people, places, and the environment outside the classroom.
We believe that ‘play is child’s work’ and that children learn best through hands-on, process-based and meaningful work experiences. We are committed to supporting and teaching about sustainable practices.
Warm personal child-teacher relationships support our emphasis on helping children communicate effectively and grow in awareness, thoughtfulness, and empathy for others.
While we are a public ‘face’ of University Congregational Church, our curriculum is secular.
environment
Our comfortable, child-centered classrooms and outside play yard are bright and cheerful. They reflect our commitment to surrounding children with their own work as well as immersion in a literacy-rich environment and inviting opportunities for multi-sensory learning across all disciplines.
co-op
Our preschool is a parent cooperative. This means that on a rotating basis, adult family members assist daily in the classroom, participate in a school-wide committee per family, accompany field trips, provide healthy snacks, and help with other projects. Fundraising provides a significant portion of our annual operating budget and scholarship fund, therefore UCCC families are required to participate in school fundraising efforts. Families contribute ideas and talents as well as share in each child’s growth and development at the preschool, which enriches the collaborative learning environment and sense of community for everyone. At UCCC, we arrive as separate families; we end up as one family.
