At the ELA we take full advantage of smaller classes, and co-teachers, to aid in providing ample support and/or challenge to our students. We meet them right where they are, and provide the tools they need to make progress throughout the year. Our curriculum is focused on the abilities they have as toddlers, while encouraging their mental capacity for absorbing as much education as possible from each of our activities. In addition to the alphabet and numbers, phonics and counting, they learn independence, how to be a good friend, how to share a classroom with their peers and encourage each other. They are valuable members of their preschool community, and they learn what that means.

Our hands-on approach means minimal worksheets, and no pencils. We craft, glue, use tweezers and playdough. Peel stickers and mold with kinetic sand to strengthen the muscles they need to be good writers. We use real life items that they can see/touch/smell to boost their phonetic understanding and to cross over learning “areas.” For example, part of our lesson on the letter B used berries – we discussed the different kinds, counted what we had in front of us, described them, felt them, smelled and tasted them, integrated all 5 senses into the learning, and created artwork with the mashed berries and juices. While we do use crayons and markers to trace and begin letter and number formation, our primary goal is to recognize and name the letters/numbers and what sound or quantity they represent, and to keep it all fun and engaging.