Curriculum

Curriculum at Garrison Family Care is designed for children ages 9 months - 4 years of age. Activities are largely Reggio Emilia inspired and follow regulations for developmentally appropriate set by the DEEC. Accommodations and modifications for age and ability differences are made as needed on an individual basis. 

Literature and personal experience inspires interests and questions among the children, which directly influences what will be studied. "Study" in this case means presenting a problem, then providing time, materials, and guidance as the children work to solve it.

    "You saw leaves outside? How did they get there?"

    "What are you going to use this big box for?"

    "You would like to paint. How could we put it on the paper?"

    "Her tower was knocked down. What should we do?"

Presenting open ended questions does a few things for the children. First, their responses demonstrate their understanding of the situation and their abilities in the related areas of development. Secondly, it makes the child an integral part to the curriculum, which reinforces their participation. Knowing this, I am able to help children meet the objectives of an activity by doing what they enjoy. I believe using this method at a young age teaches academic skills, social skills, and to have fun while loving learning.

School Readiness

Each day will follow a routine that is geared towards the needs of young children. Activities will include large movement activities, small motor practice, exposure to academics, social skills practice, emotional awareness, and multi-sensory activities. Daily activities will be based on observations of children’s interests. The activities and programs are cumulative throughout the year. Regular attendance is expected so that each child is able to get the full benefit from our explorations.

Daily Routine

7:30-8:15 Drop Off, Free Play

8:15 Circle Time

8:45 Snack

9:30 Projects & Activities, Indoors or Outdoors depending on weather

11:00 StoryTime & Music

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Quiet Time/Napping

2:00 Fine Motor Focus

2:30 Snack

2:45-4:00 Outdoor Play & Pick Up

Infant and Young Toddler Curriculum

The development and needs of an infant are far removed from that of a preschooler. Parent decisions of infant care vary greatly and are deeply personal. I wish to maintain care as closely to the parents personal style as possible. For those reasons, curriculum and progress reports will be developed and implemented on an individual basis for infants and young toddlers.

Daily Information

Each day I will post in our online family forum. Important information will include daily activities and curriculum information. 

I encourage you to briefly share information at drop off, as well. Knowing how a child’s evening and morning went can be useful information, particularly if the child is hungry, tired, or upset.

Family Participation

gfc hosts several family events outside of the normal school day. This allows us to connect as a group, share successes, friendships, and all of the things we’ve learned! 

Keep an eye out for these events:

• October: Hiking Halloween

• December: Our Family Tree Collaborative Art Project

• February: Parent Night Out PJ & Pizza Party

• April: Fine Arts Show

• June: End of School Year Celebration at Hart Pond, Chelmsford

• August: Play date at Friendship Park, Chelmsford

School Readiness

Academic skills are accessed through play. You will never see a worksheet or pre-fabricated craft project at GFC. Occasionally we will do a guided activity as a special project, but 99% of the time activities are process based and child led. As each child becomes more proficient with their skills, they will begin to produce more "finished" pieces. Here are some of the skills that are addressed during the year:

Alphabet: writing & identifying Name: writing & identifying Storytelling: sequencing, characters Calendar: days of the week, months Shapes: drawing & identifying Patterns Community Helpers Family & Friendship Science: inquiry, explorations Life Science Social Skills Art: techniques, processes Physical Ed: games, play, yoga

Numbers: writing, identifying, counting Storytime: individually & with a group Reading: front to back, left to right Time: seasons, morning, afternoon, night Colors: naming & matching Prepositions & Positional Words Geography: address, maps All About Me Science: recording data, observations Physical Science Emotional Development Music: dancing, instruments Health: food choices, hygiene

Special Needs

I have experience working in early intervention (ages 0-36 months), preschool (ages 2-5), and school age (K-5th) special needs educational settings. Reasonable modifications and accommodations will be made for children as needed. Therapists and teachers are welcome to provide services within my program space. I am comfortable integrating individual program goals into the general curriculum.

Progress Reports
Progress reports will be completed based on direct observations of the children and evaluation of completed works kept in their portfolio. Progress reports will be sent home in October and April. Regularly scheduled parent conferences will be held in October and April. Additional conferences will be scheduled as needed.

updated 6/7/2021