Falls Church Preschool and Daycare

A Classical Preschool Education

“What the child can do in cooperation today he can do alone tomorrow” -Lev Vygotsky

Programs & Curriculums

Curriculum

We use professional, research-based, age appropriate curriculum in each of our classes.  The children love our curriculum, and it always holds their interest.  The children build a very strong foundation in literacy, math, science, and all core subjects.  Students who graduate from our Pre-k class are usually substantially ahead of their peers entering Kindergarten, and the feedback we have is that they score exceptionally well on entrance exams to some of the most prestigious private schools around.

In addition to our core courses, art and music are part of our regular curriculum.

Toddler Program (to 3 years old)

As toddlers can’t take care yet of themselves, the toddler classes are designed to ensure the children’s health and wellbeing through active play, nutrition, and emotional care in a calm and secure environment.

Our toddler program is focusing on providing an individual experience for each toddler by offering each child an opportunity to learn life skills such as pushing their arms into their sleeves, feeding themselves at mealtime, learning to use the toilet, and following a daily routine.

The flexible curriculum model exposes children to rich experiences where children can learn in their own way within the context of play and everyday interactions. The curriculum materials are Montessori-inspired and support all areas of children’s development: language and cognitive development, sensorial, science and math, social-emotional, music and rhythm, and physical education.

Preschool Program (ages 3-4)

It is very important to provide opportunities for young preschoolers to explore, learn and grow and to become independent thinkers and problem-solvers. Our preschool program offers a quality, safe and nurturing setting with developmentally appropriate materials and wisely structured schedule with organized activities and carefully supervised free play.

Our curriculum provides consistency and a predictable routine, which is comforting to children. It includes open-ended activities and materials that can be used in a variety of ways. The curriculum that is taught to the preschoolers promotes multisensory experiences and invites exploration and discovery.

Pre-K and Junior K (ages 4+)

The pre-k years are a time of promise, a time when young children’s bodies and minds are growing at an incredible rate.  Most four and five year olds in our preschool have already developed great independence, self-control, and their expressive vocabulary is rapidly growing.  They are learning and developing at a very rapid rate.

Both Pre-K and Junior Kindergarten programs encourage meaningful, personal relationships between teachers and students, and use a mixture of interactive content, songs, and poems to foster oral language and early literacy skills. All parts of the curriculum provide opportunities for every child’s learning and individual growth in the following areas:

  • Social and Emotional Development
  • Language and Communication
  • Emergent Literacy: Reading and Writing
  • Mathematics and Science
  • Social Studies and Fine Arts

Russian and French Language

French and Russian language classes are a core part of the curriculum.  For those who want even more practice, optional language enrichment classes are available depending on interest level.  Unlike language classes in primary and secondary education, learning a language in preschool is fun.  It is interactive, playful, and there is no homework or tests.  We consider this foundation in multi-lingual education to be extremely valuable as they get older and continue to build language skills. The staff in each class is bi-lingual to daily support and reinforce our language curriculum in the classroom.

Social-Emotional Workshops

Each month, we have a workshop to support social-emotional development and continue reinforcing the theme throughout the month.  We cover topics like sharing, kindness and acceptance, positive attitude, learning from mistakes, dealing with conflicts without hurting ourselves or others, and so on.

Performances

Several times a year, your children become stars when they perform music, drama, and dance for the parents.  The children practice for these performances in their music classes.  The older children traditionally perform our version of “The Nutcracker” during the winter performance.

Traditions

During STEM week, the children learn and develop curiosity through hands-on activities relating to math, engineering, and science.

During our “Travel Around the World” week, we celebrate cultures and parts of the world through pretend travel to countries around the world.  Children and parents are encouraged to get involved by doing an interactive presentation about their ancestral culture and homeland.

Our Fashion Show allows the children to display confidence and positive attitude on the red carpet with their favorite clothes and costumes.

During Graduation, the graduating pre-k students wear cap and gown and receive a certificate of graduation to Kindergarten.

Enrichment

In addition to the regular curriculum, optional enrichment classes are offered according to interest in subjects such as:

  • Russian and French
  • Ballet
  • Karate
  • Tennis
  • Other educational and fun subjects

Life Skills

Many habits and routine skills are learned in preschool which serve them well as they grow.  We work on instilling good cleanliness and hygiene skills and training the children to be self-sufficient and helpful in completing routine tasks.  We keep our classrooms clean by training children to take off their dirty street shoes and put on clean indoor shoes when they enter the classroom.  Taking off and putting on shoes is an important life skill for the children.  The children wash their hands frequently, before and after meals and snacks and after using rest room.  This helps prevent the spread of disease.  When it is time to change clothes or shoes or put on or take off a coat, we try to train the children to learn to do it on their own.  We train the children to be as independent as possible on the toilet.  Every child has one or more jobs to help out in the classroom each day, such as helping set up for lunch.  This develops responsibility and maturity.  Our goal is for the children to be able to perform all of these tasks by themselves with confidence.