EDUCATION
The most important goal is to develop and nurture a child's self-esteem. The program believes the future success of your child depends on a healthy self-image and pride in his family. With this ultimate goal in mind, the teaching staff along with input from parents plans a curriculum that encourages curiosity, provides successful experiences for children and promotes social skills necessary to prepare them for later school experiences. The curriculum covers the following areas.

CURRICULUM
Self-Help Skills: Children are encouraged to perform self-care routines and tasks for themselves such as: setting tables, serving themselves at the table, snapping, zipping, and buttoning their own clothes, tying shoes, putting on own jackets, taking care of toileting needs, brushing teeth and cleaning up after play.
Language: Children are given many opportunities to express ideas and experiences, and share with others by learning to listen and discuss. Activities include reading, writing and dictation of stories, listening to records and tape recordings, circle time, dramatic play, conversation at mealtime, puppets and flannel board stories.
Health: Children learn and develop habits relating to physical health, nutrition and mental health through daily activities such as hand washing, brushing teeth, preparing food, and talking about feelings. Teachers model good health practices and offer children a wide variety of learning experiences. For example, teachers discuss health and dental screenings with parents and children before they occur, in order to increase understanding and reduce fears. They read books, before and after visits to doctors and dentists and provide books, puzzles, videos related to health.
Safety: Rules for safe indoor and outdoor play and appropriate use of play equipment and classroom materials are stressed. Children learn to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations; field trips, nature walks, traffic safety, safe touch, strangers and seat belt safety. Children learn about fire/earthquake safety at school and home, and practice fire and earthquake drills.
Gross Motor Skills: Children are given daily opportunities to use the large muscles of the body in order to better coordinate and refine movement. Activities such as riding tricycles, obstacle courses, use of outdoor equipment, running, hopping, jumping, climbing, throwing and catching balls and block building help children strengthen their motor skills.
Fine Motor Skills: Children practice using the small muscles of the body to improve finger and hand coordination and eye-hand coordination. Activities such as cutting, tracing, gluing, writing, drawing, puzzles, block building, and stringing beads, are used to practice fine motor coordination.
Creativity: Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively through art, music and dance, and rhythmic movement activities. Examples of activities are drawing, working with play-dough and clay, making picture books, finger painting, collages, easel painting, etc.
Social Development: Children are encouraged to develop appropriate social behaviors that will help them interact well with others. Children practice taking turns, sharing, using appropriate table manners, listening and following directions. Children are encouraged to express their feelings, when problem solving.
Cognitive: Teachers plan activities that encourage children to solve problems, to ask questions, to develop concepts of size, shape, weight, color, numbers, to recognize their written names and work toward writing their names, to sort and match items, to learn symbols for numbers and letters, to count items, etc.
Sensory: Activities are planned that help children use their senses to explore the world. Examples of such activities are water play, finger painting, using play-dough and clay, play at the rice table, food tasting, smelling jars, magnifying glasses, prisms and color paddles.
Science: Science activities include nature walks, weather observations, field trips, observations of animals in the classroom, growing plants, experimenting with water, light, gravity, and the joy of discovery.
Self-image: HRC Calaveras Head Start/State Preschool helps children develop a positive self-image by designing activities which challenge yet ensure success, recognizing each child's unique strengths and contributions, designing an educational program for each individual child, and making each child feel important and needed. Activities include body tracing, identification of child's body parts, "special me" and family books, self portraits.
Nutrition: Children learn about nutrition and how to select food wisely. Cooking activities are planned weekly. Children are included in the preparation of their own lunch and snack periodically. These activities help them learn about measuring, cutting, stirring, following directions, and planning meals.
Multi-cultural Activities: Culture is not a specific topic to be taught, rather it is a part of the child's total everyday experience. Every child is encouraged to express or "represent" their culture through on-going activities. This will be enhanced by extending the learning environment to include the child's community and family. Field trips to the child's immediate community (neighborhood, farm, orchards, etc.) will be used as opportunities to expand the child's culture experiences. Children are encouraged to become aware of the similarities and differences of people around them.
Parent Involvement: Parents are encouraged to contribute ideas for activities and events, to share important traditions and routines, to volunteer to work in the classroom, to share their special skills or talents with the children, and to participate in the educational growth of their child.

ASSESSMENT
Each child is assessed to identify their developmental strengths and emerging skills. In order to plan an individualized learning program of activities, teachers will meet with parents to discuss each child's progress and develop strategies to meet goals. A portfolio will be used to collect samples of each child's work.

We also assess children using the Child Outcomes and Results Profile. Infant/Toddlers are assessed four times a year with this tool. Preschool children are assessed three times a year. This information is used to plan your child's individual program. Parents will receive a summary of these reports at the end of each school year.