Exceed Preschool Currciulum

ADMINISTRATORS

FOR YOUR TEACHERS TO EXCEED ... CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IS A MUST.
Because Exceed Preschool Curriculums provide on-the-job training for staff, the busy administrator can devote more time to overseeing a quality preschool environment. Exceed provides staff opportunities for on-the-job training through suggestions, Helping Hand Hints and a Monthly Observation Checklist for each child. This program is so "user friendly" teachers need only read and follow the suggested guidelines.

CURRICULUM
Exceed Preschool Curriculums are three and four year old theme-based programs allowing children opportunities to explore in developmentally appropriate environments. The three year old curriculum is presented as a half-day program throughout the year while the four year old program engages in full-day activities during the fall, winter and spring quarters and half-day during the summer months. Both the three and four year old programs provide detailed, pre-written lesson plans with defined skills in scope and sequence. Children experience large and small group situations along with individual assistance while exploring the areas of Language, Math, Science, Culture, Music and Art. On a daily basis, youngsters participate in the focus areas and circle time activities, and explore designated locations in the classroom known as "centers" to the preschooler. Socialization is encouraged throughout the daily activities as an integral part of the preschool experience.

STAY ON TRACK
Each week's Exceed lesson plan includes a Staff Memo providing teachers an opportunity to review skills, activities, suggestions, and additional supplies needed. At the beginning of each month, an Observation Checklist including age-appropriate skills from the developmental areas of language/literacy, cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, self-help, and socialization may be used as a guideline for observing children's progress during the month.

NO SUMMER BREAK
The Exceed program for three year olds is a half-day program that takes the children on imaginary vacations both to the beach and the mountains. A review of all skills, including the letters, colors, and shapes that were introduced from September through May are included during the summer months.

Exceed for four year olds is also a half-day program that takes children on a pretend trip around the world visiting 12 different regions. Youngsters will have an opportunity to experience and appreciate other lifestyles in the world along with their own. A review of all concepts and skills presented from September through May are included during the summer months. Additionally, a Writing Focus will be introduced providing children with readiness handwriting experiences to better prepare them for kindergarten.

STABILITY
The Exceed program provides daily guidance to both the experienced and beginner preschool teachers. Through weekly Staff Memos, Helping Hand Hints, suggestions, and daily detailed lesson plans, children are given consistency throughout the day even if teachers are called away unexpectedly or illness prevents them from coming to class. Through detailed lesson plans, one can easily assess a child's progress at any time during the day and implement the remaining activities in the schedule.

RESEARCH
From local to international levels, leaders in education, science, medicine, government, and business have acknowledged the value – indeed, the imperative – in adopting and implementing early childhood education and development initiatives for all preschool aged children, especially three- and four-year-olds.

In the U.S., this movement has received recognition and support at the highest levels of government, through Good Start, Grow Smart: The Bush Administration's Early Childhood Initiative. Good Start, Grow Smart makes clear that "there is a strong connection between the development a child undergoes early in life and the level of success that the child will experience later in life."

Internationally, the World Bank has funded extensive research on the links between proactive early childhood education, and its essential role in enabling developing nations to establish tangible, sustainable advances in their social, political, and economic stability.

Exceed Preschool Curriculums were designed and developed by highly educated professionals with lifelong practical classroom experience, and then classroom tested in diverse settings, based on the knowledge that:

Development of the human brain begins soon after conception
Learning begins at birth and, if properly supported, continues throughout life
The optimal environment for maximizing the potential of a child's brain is in a combination of settings that includes the home, and in more diverse environments such as quality day care, pre-kindergarten early childhood education settings, and programs such as Head Start
The most effective preschool curriculum should:

Be based on a judicious combination of the relevant, available research, and practical classroom experiences

Be suitable for teachers with all levels of experience, education, and training
Provide a clear and consistent format that ensures appropriate transitions from one activity to the next

Utilize appropriate educational materials already in the classroom that are familiar to the teacher in implementing the curriculum that has been selected
Be highly intuitive for the teacher and quickly integrated into the flow of daily activities in the classroom

Effectively prepare young children to enter the next phase in their learning – whether in a public or private setting – with a smooth transition and all of the necessary knowledge to exceed.

Complete research available upon request.

REFERENCE SOURCES AND RELATED LINKS

The DANA Foundation

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Brain Development

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Child-care Providers

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Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

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Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

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New York: Green

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