OUR CURRICULUM
ADE offers an inclusive education model, based on current ECE research & best practices, founded on the High Scope approach. Our approach to teaching focuses on child-teacher interactions, explorative learning & a data-driven curriculum. Our preschool program prepares children for elementary school & life by giving them the skills and tools required for future academic success.
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
This area looks at how children acquire their knowledge & skills - often known as “critical thinking”. A positive attitude towards learning is essential for academic & social success.
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This area looks at how children learn to identify and regulate their feelings. A child’s earliest social and emotional experiences set the stage for their well-being throughout life.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT & HEALTH
Children require appropriate experiences to develop physically, learn what their bodies are capable of, and learn how to take care of them. Physical activity is natural for young children & are interested in how their bodies work. They enjoy mastering personal care skills and taking responsibility for themselves.
LANGUAGE, LITERACY, & COMMUNICATION
Communication - through gesture, spoken language, and written language - is an essential characteristic of being human. Children are highly motivated to master the diverse set of skills in this area so they can signal their needs; learn from the words and symbols that surround them; and connect with others to exchange ideas, feelings, and friendship. Conversations become the medium of exchange for learning and establishing relationships.
MATHEMATICS
Mathematics activities occur spontaneously throughout the program day. Children learn about geometry when they assemble puzzles and build with blocks, and explore measurement when they see who jumped the farthest. When they create patterns, they lay the foundation for algebra. They count real things and love working with numbers.
CREATIVE ARTS
Creative arts encompasses art, music, movement, and pretend play which provide children with a means of expressing themselves. At first, art is all about exploration, and focuses on the process rather than the outcome. As children get older, they use art to represent their feelings and ideas. They start to demonstrate the ability to represent their ideas and to appreciate art in all its forms.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
For children, science is the process of observing and making sense of the world using all their senses. Children use a variety of tools to investigate the world, including appropriate technology. Engaging in the scientific process promotes critical-thinking skills as children attempt to understand the what, how, and why of the natural & physical world.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Social studies is learning about who we are and how we fit into the diverse worlds of our family, school, and community. Through the exposure to the social world around them, children see how they are the same and/or different from others. They explore an expanding territory that takes them from home to unfamiliar locations. They also become aware of the passage of time itself. They begin to think about the “here and now” and the “there and then”
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING
Children learning English typically progress through several stages in which they listen, mimic, try out, and eventually speak with growing confidence. Understanding (comprehension) comes before speaking.
EARLY LEARNING PROGRAM
SAMPLE CURRICULUM
MARCH - READING & LITERACY MONTH
ACADEMIC OBJECTIVES OF THE MONTH
The children will focus on academic objectives during this month's lessons and activities:
Letter recognition: S, T, U
STEM:
Number recognition: 13, 14
Choral counting: 0-15
Shape recognition: Clover
Colour identification: Purple
Fine motor: Hand-eye coordination
BOOKS & SONGS OF THE MONTH
During the musical component of the day, the children will learn the songs of the month indicated below. The teacher will read the books of the month and tailor literacy lessons and activities around the themes related to the books.
Books of the month:
Le chat chapeauté
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Classic Munsch ABC
Songs of the month:
Old Macdonald Had a Farm
Sur la ferme de Mathurin
DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES OF THE MONTH
Social and emotional development is critical and shapes the way children learn to identify and regulate their feelings. Teachers will introduce lessons and activities that target the following social & emotional skills this month:
Expressing emotions through words
Children develop their gross motor skills through daily activities and practicing their fine motor skills. Teachers will introduce lessons and activities that target the following gross motor skills this month:
Kicking and stopping a ball
PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
SAMPLE CURRICULUM
JANUARY - EARTH SCIENCES MONTH
ACADEMIC OBJECTIVES
The children will focus on academic objectives during this month's lessons and activities:
Letter recognition & letter sound matches: M, N, O
STEM:
Number recognition: 8, 9, 10
Choral counting: 0-20
Concepts of solids, liquids, gases
Shape recognition: Star
Colour identification: Blue
Fine motor: Cutting & tracing name
BOOKS & SONGS OF THE MONTH
During the musical component of the day, the children will learn the songs of the month indicated below. The teacher will read the books of the month and tailor literacy lessons and activities around the themes related to the books.
Books of the month:
There’s No Place Like Space
Our World Book
Mon livre des gros dinosaures
Songs of the month:
Six Little Ducks
Coucou, hibou
DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES OF THE MONTH
Social and emotional development is critical and shapes the way children learn to identify and regulate their feelings. Teachers will introduce lessons and activities that target the following social & emotional skills this month:
Resolving conflict with others & identifying feelings
Children develop their gross motor skills through daily activities and practicing their fine motor skills. Teachers will introduce lessons and activities that target the following gross motor skills this month:
Hops and stands on one foot for 2 seconds
7:00 AM TO 9:00AM
ARRIVALS & CHILD-DIRECTED PLAY
Children begin to arrive at the centre for their day at preschool. Children can explore their classroom and participate in developmental learning centres set up in each room.
9:00AM
BREAKFAST
Children enjoy a nutritious homemade breakfast from our seasonal menu, prepared in our kitchen by our in-house chef. Breakfast typically consists of a glass of milk, oatmeal & fruits, homemade muffins, and other delicious meals.
9:30AM
CIRCLE TIME & MORNING MEET UP
Children sit around a table, or on the carpet to participate in turn-taking and discussions related to the week's learning goals and monthly theme. Children of all age groups learn to wait their turn, raise their hand when they would like to speak and master the art of listening during their morning meet-ups.
10:00 AM
MORNING LESSONS & ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
Preschool teachers run daily morning lessons and activities, which are planned monthly based on the upcoming themes and weekly classroom targets. Preschool lessons and activities are based on weekly concepts, including: literacy, French language, STEM, socio-emotional, sensory, and art & music workshops.
11:00AM
GROSS MOTOR PLAY
Each morning, children participate in daily gross motor activities, targeting important motor skills. Our early learners head outdoors into our play-yard each morning for outdoor and gross motor play. Our pre-kindergarten group participates in indoor gross motor activities in the mornings, and outdoor activities every afternoon.
11:30AM
LUNCH TIME
Preschoolers enjoy a delicious hot lunch prepared daily by our in-house chef, in our very own kitchen. Children join their peers at the table in their own classrooms to eat their lunch. Teachers explain what foods the children are eating each day, encouraging children to eat independently (and helping when needed!) and to try new foods.
12:30 PM TO 2:30PM
NAP & REST PERIOD
Children take the time to rest and relax from their busy preschool morning. Teachers create a calming environment, promoting rest and relaxation by reading a story, playing calming music, and turning off the lights in the classroom. Children are encouraged to rest on their individual sleep mats, with their favourite soft toy and blanket from home. Pre-kindergarten children take a shorter nap, ending nap-time at 2:00pm.
3:00PM
AFTERNOON SNACK
Once children have cleaned up after nap-time, and used the washroom, they sit down at the table as a group for their afternoon snack. Children enjoy a healthy afternoon snack prepared by our chef, in our very own kitchen.
3:30PM
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS & OUTDOOR PLAY
Our early learners participate in afternoon workshops, based on the developmental target of the day. Our pre-kindergarten group heads into the play-yard to participate in gross motor games and outdoor play.
4:00PM TO 6:00PM
DEPARTURES & CHILD-DIRECTED PLAY
The children's preschool program comes to an end and parents begin to pick them up. Children who stay after the preschool program can participate in child-directed free play in the classrooms.