"Every child has a different learning style and pace. Each child is unique, not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding." -Robert John Meehan
The Preschool offers an instructional curriculum for children 12 months through a developmental Five-Six program.
Our youngest students enjoy a structured school day that prioritizes learning through play. Toddlers participate in circle and story time, music and movement class, free art, unstructured indoor and outdoor play, and designated snack time each day. Within each of these activities come opportunities to observe and develop important language, motor, social, and self-sufficiency skills. The tender guidance and nurturing leadership of our Toddler teachers provide a solid foundation for a love of learning.
In the Twos class, children stretch their social skills by building relationships with peers and teachers and improving their self-awareness and self-expression. Imaginative play, music and art, motor development exercises, and structured classroom activities offer students frequent opportunities for language development and meaning-making. Curriculum units address familiar subject areas on an accessible level, introducing learners to the earliest concepts in language, math, sciences, and the arts.
The Threes curriculum continues to emphasize learning through play and introduces more advanced classroom structures and routines. Circle time, themed learning centers, and skill-based work jobs contribute to students' social and emotional growth, cognitive skills, and motor development. Threes students learn to take greater initiative and lengthen attention spans; they enhance their expressive and receptive language through more complex conversations, and they hone early literacy and math skills by recognizing letters and sounds, engaging in storytelling, and grasping the meaning of numerals. Additionally, spiritual growth takes center stage, as students begin attending our Friday chapel.
Students enter Pre-K with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills and depart with the confidence and capabilities necessary for a successful transition to kindergarten or our Five-Six program. Students expand their relational and self-advocacy skills through structured play, group activities, and new opportunities for presentations and performances. In addition to music, art, and chapel, Pre-K students participate in a weekly STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) class where they delve into multimodal experimentation and discovery. Our Pre-K curriculum nurtures children's hearts and minds while also challenging and also challenges students to take more responsibility and embrace independence as learners.
Research shows that delaying the start of kindergarten, essentially taking a child from the youngest in class to the oldest, offers both academic and social-emotional benefits. To help bridge the kindergarten readiness gap, The Preschool offers a highly desired and meaningful program for those children with late Spring (by approval/teacher recommendation) and June, July, and August birthdays. Our Five-Six class is a sociodramatic and academic program that incorporates the same methods and tools inherent to The Preschool's curriculum but presses students toward higher learning and readiness. The Kindergarten Correlations Standards, situated between the Early Learning Standards and the Georgia Performance Standards for elementary school, inform course content and structure. Children participate in advanced phonics lessons, STEM activities, collaborative group work, field trips, class performances, and analytical approaches to art and music. This extra year of schooling before kindergarten serves to foster fosters a greater love of learning and bolsters confidence, enabling students to achieve greater success.
Located on PRUMC’s beautiful Buckhead campus, The Preschool is an independent, faith based school, for children 12 months through 6 years-old. We are committed to nurturing the whole child in preparation for the most distinguished public and private primary schools in Atlanta.