Curriculum and Programs

Curriculum Goals

Our curriculum grows out of the goals we have for all children, and an educational philosophy that is grounded in the principle that children cannot be given knowledge, but rather must be provided with experiences from which they construct their own knowledge and develop their own skills.

We believe that planned, organized experiences are important, as are flexible, spontaneous experiences, and that an effective learning environment will provide a balance of both.

We draw on current research on the interaction of experience, brain development and learning. Our curriculum is child-centered, individualized, nurturing, and reflects a desire for a collaborative relationship with our children’s parents.

Our program goals are to facilitate the development of each child’s:

  • Self-Esteem
  • Communication Skills
  • Ability to Make Choices
  • Problem Solving Skills
  • Ability to lead
  • Social and Moral Reasoning Skills
  • Sense of Responsibility
  • Creativity
  • Sense of Confidence in His/Her Ability
  • Self-Management Skills
  • Multicultural Experience
  • Discrimination and Judgment Skills

ISYC’s programs strive to support children’s growth in each of the above areas by:

  • Providing a caring, professional teaching staff that respects, encourages, supports and guides children’s explorations
  • Providing a rich, safe and planned physical, social and learning environment. Our learning interest areas and experiences encourage higher levels of school readiness in pre-math, pre-reading, science, and social studies
  • Providing flexible, challenging and varied learning centers and experiences
  • Providing an optimum mix of new and familiar experiences, equipment and materials
  • Providing support for and opportunities to develop individual interests
  • Providing support and guidance when children momentarily lose control of materials, equipment or emotions
  • Providing open communication and collaboration with children’s parents to help the children grow and develop optimally.

Our Early Childhood Program combines the best features of current educational theories:

  • The Reggio Emilia approach
  • Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences
  • Lev Vygotsky’s theories of Social Interaction and Learning
  •  Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
  •  Erik Erikson’s Theory of Social/Emotional Development

Likewise, we adopt the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) towards early childhood education. By this, we mean:

  • Our curriculum addresses the development of your child in all domains – physical, cognitive, social and emotional.
  • We recognize the uniqueness of each child. Hence, activities are flexible in order to meet each child’s developmental needs.
  • As teachers, we provide your child with a variety of hands-on activities in order to make his/her learning meaningful and relevant.
  • PLAY is an important vehicle through which your child’s development is supported. Thus we give them lots of opportunities for that.
Regular Programs

TODDLER

We believe a child is never too young to start learning. Designed for two-year-olds who do not need to be toilet trained, this program focuses on learning through sensory involvement and discovery. Activities include art, music and movement, puzzles, story time, and others designed to stimulate a toddler’s cognitive thinking patterns. The teacher/child ratio is 1 to 5.

JUNIOR NURSERY

Designed for children aged 2.8 to 3.7 years old, this program will continue to encourage exploration. Here, children develop independence, social, and self-help skills as they learn colors, letter and number recognition, patterning, matching, sorting, etc. Children also learn to express their needs, wants and ideas. The teacher/child ratio is 1 to 5.

 SENIOR NURSERY

The curriculum of the Senior Nursery class continues to build pre-academic skills in a program that emphasizes independence, exploration, problem solving, decision-making, cooperation, self-confidence, self-discipline, and written and oral expression. These learning experiences take place in individual, small and large group activities. The teacher/child ratio is 1 to 5.

KINDERGARTEN

Our Kindergarten class will hone your children’s skills by introducing fun and more complex activities that will help them prepare for the big school. Working with a small group of children, the teachers will help the children utilize their existing strengths and interests to individualize their entrance into literacy and mathematical practices that will support them in their future learning. The teacher/child ratio is 1 to 6.

Summer Programs

ISYC also offers an array of programs to help your child breeze through the hot summer months:

PLAYGROUP

Intended for children ages one to – one year and eleven months, this program aims to facilitate in learning valuable language and social skills through music and movement coupled with age appropriate art activates.

SUMMER FUN

Designed for children two to age six, this program helps your children learn about summer through an integrative learning experience where they can enjoy exciting events like cooking, crafts, fieldtrips, sports, and other fun-filled activities.

READING AND PHONICS

This multi-sensory program of visual, kinesthetic and auditory activities is a good introduction for beginning readers and will also help those already reading to strengthen their skills.  Children four to seven years old are welcome to enroll in this program.