Peek into a Chance preschool classroom and you’ll undoubtedly see students having a lot of fun. They are strengthening their social and emotional skills through play and work while experimenting with age-appropriate pre-reading, pre-writing and math activities. Collectively, the environment and curriculum build the foundation for success.

Overview
Children are placed according to their ages as of Oct. 1 of the school year.  Preschool classes meet from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and extended program options are available.

In age-specific preschool classrooms, Chance students develop and practice important life skills under the guidance of one lead teacher and an assistant for a one-year cycle with same-age peers. As students are promoted to the next year’s age-specific class, they transition to new teachers, routines and classmates. 

Two-year-olds
Each classroom has a maximum ratio of 6:1 with 12 students, one lead teacher and an assistant teacher. Two-day, three-day and five-day options are available. 

Three-year-olds
Each classroom has a maximum ratio of 7:1 with 14 students, one lead teacher and an assistant teacher. Schedule options include three-day and five-day options.

Four-year-olds
Each classroom has a maximum ratio of 9:1 with 18 students and two lead teachers. Class meets five days.

A typical day includes:

Group times

As preschool begins, teachers greet students with engaging group activities. One gathering may introduce new materials in the room or center choices for the day. Another may encourage discussions that promote listening and sharing. Others include reading a story or singing a song.

Learning centers

Students follow their curiosity and select a learning center. Choices include building with blocks, dressing up for dramatic play, creating a masterpiece on an easel, reading a book, digging into the sensory table, exploring a science topic or playing a game with a new friend. Centers promote exploration, decision-making, and social interaction as an extension of their studies.

Literacy development

The journey to literacy is an exciting one at Chance. In addition to learning opportunities at centers, experiences include:

Group read-alouds that let students experience meaningful literature as an extension of their studies. Class discussions stretch students to grow in comprehension, recall and reasoning.

Writing practice, that helps students make important connections. The youngest writers create stories using scribbles, stamps and pictures. Soon they are associating sounds with symbols. The grouping (patterning) of letters becomes words and then sentences.

Math development

Students explore, investigate and problem-solve with hands-on math activities that make abstract ideas concrete.

Group time featuring real-life experiences, the calendar, weather graphs and games make math learning come to life. Preschoolers may assist with a demonstration or talk about some interesting observations.

Math practice takes place in learning centers, with a small group or on an individual basis. Students explore new concepts at their individual levels of understanding by using hands-on materials. Teachers offer guidance and extra support.

Theme study

Preschoolers love to investigate the world in which they live. Teachers generate topics of study based on children’s interests and life experiences. The exploration makes use of all the subjects, from writing and math to art and music. Teachers plan themes that are exciting and relevant to young learners, such as Family, Seasons, Animals, Transportation, Senses and All About Me.