Discovery Village Preschool welcomes children between the ages of 2-1/2 (must be potty trained) and 5 years old. The school year runs from mid-August through mid-June, and is a ten month program.
Classes Offered
Our 2-1/2 to 3 Year Old Program (must be potty trained)
Who, what, where, and why? These are the questions our youngest children are asking about their world. Our curriculum is designed to benefit the "whole child"- intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. We believe children learn best through play. During our daily schedule, it is our job to set the stage for age appropriate activities, that children LOVE to do - art, puzzles, manipulative toys, blocks, and dramatic play center time. Morning table activities offer developmental and curriculum based opportunities to enjoy!
Circle time focuses on cognitive development and includes stories, puppets, songs, the calendar, weather, and the pledge of allegiance.
Our center time each day continues with teacher/child directed activities that correspond to the curriculum.
Playground time and lunch time are followed with an afternoon circle to share about their day before being dismissed on the playground.
Some of the skills covered are:
- Recognizing their name
- Gross motor skills
- Participation in circle time activities
- Fine motor skills - holding crayons and scissors correctly
- Introduction to letters, colors, numbers, shapes
Our 4 to 5 Year Old Program
We are getting ready! In our fours program we are providing exposure to the skills which are the foundation to be successful in kindergarten. Learning should be fun! We incorporate reading readiness, language development, vocabulary, thinking and listening skills, phonics, math readiness and printing readiness. There are also theme activities each month in science, social studies, and multicultural studies.
Some of the skills introduced are:
- Introduction to alphabet letters
- Review of colors
- Fine motor skills - cutting, holding crayons and pencils
- Gross motor skills
- Thinking and listening skills
- Language interaction
- Simple problem solving
- Self help skills
- Conceptual skills - patterning, graphing, measuring, sequencing
- Rote counting
- Rhyming words
- Directional/positional words
- Body parts
- Large and small group activities
- Awareness of the world around us
- responsibility
Transitional Kindergarten
This transitional class is offered for children who have completed a four year old program. We feel that families with children who have late birthdays, or those who would like to gift their child with a little extra time, will enjoy knowing there is a class that provides a comprehensive curriculum that meets the needs of the five year old!
Math Curriculum
Math curriculum includes working with numbers at the concept level, connecting level, and symbolic level. Some of the skills introduced are:
- Patterning
- Sorting
- Classifying
- Comparing
- Graphing
- Estimating
Language Curriculum
With our language curriculum, we will encourage developing skills in a variety of fun ways! Language comes alive when literacy grows. This will:
- Motivate the child
- Facilitate oral development
- Develop print awareness
- Enhance social development
- Teach letters and sounds
- Promote reading comprehension
- Develop writing and spelling skills
Themes throughout the year will be part of our Investigator’s Club! They will include science, music, art, computers, math and language.
A typical day at Discovery Village Preschool:
| 9:00 - 9:30 | Children arrive, unpack backpacks, and engage in child directed activities |
| 9:30 - 9:50 | Cleanup, Morning Circle Activity and Story (Calendar, Weather, Pledge of Allegiance) |
| 9:50- 10:05 | Snack Time |
| 10:05 - 11:00 | Learning Centers (Teacher/Child directed) Thematic Activities |
| 11:00 - 11:15 | Cleanup/Bathroom |
| 11:15- 11:45 | Upper playground |
| 11:45 - 12:10 | Lunch with Friends |
| 12:10 - 12:20 | Afternoon Circle/Story |
| 12:20 - 12:45 | Lower Playground and Dismissal |
* Please note that this schedule is not exact. It may vary with the number of days your child attends.
Special Occassions
During the school year we have several special occassions for parents to participate at school:
- Fire Department Visit (at DVP)
- October - Field trip to Patterson Farms; Halloween Costume Parade
- December - Gingerbread Open House (Family Cookie Decorating)
- February - Dentist Visit (at DVP)
- May - Spring Field Trip to Lazy 5 Ranch
- June - Graduation (4 and 5 year olds); Family Picnic (3 year olds)
In addition to these special days, we also offer regular visits from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Storytellers.