Pre-Kindergarten
Focuses on fun-filled balanced curriculum which meets the California Preschool Academic Standards, and helps your child meet his or her full potential in all areas of development in preparation for kindergarten
the Pre-Kindergarten program at CUMC
CUMC Preschool focuses on a developmentally appropriate curriculum with a wide range of social and early childhood education objectives for our 4 – 5 year-old Pre-K children.
CUMC Preschool takes pride in offering a nurturing environment that encourages positive relationships and celebrates the uniqueness of each child. Our preschool’s early childhood curriculum helps children grow in a distinctive setting through exploration, problem solving and expressive play.
What do we do in Pre-K?
Everyday, we learn with a variety of interactive, hands-on activities exploring these skills:
Language
Will use the alphabet as a framework for many of our activities – basically exploring one letter per week. Many of our songs, art projects, literacy, and math games will follow the letter. We learn American sign Language by signing each letter and a work to go with it.
Science
We explore our natural world, everything from magnets to mud pies, including hands-on studies of geology, insects, and weather. We will have experiments with vinegar and baking soda, diet soda with Mentos and more.
Math
We count the days on our calendar and number line. We explore concepts of opposites, less versus more, pattern and sequencing. We explore shapes and spatial awareness.
Art
We use a variety of media to creatively express ourselves: from paint and glue to three-dimensional sculpture. We experiment with ceramics, woodworking, and sewing. We will sing, dance, and express ourselves through theater.
Fine Motor
We work on cutting skills, pencil grasp, writing skills, and using a variety of tools such as tweezers, tongs and clothes pins.
Large Motor
Besides running, jumping and climbing on our playground, we enjoy a variety of games and movement activities, everything from maneuvering through an obstacle course to yoga.
Pre-K Goals and Objectives
Social-Emotional Development
Our Pre-K Program works on the following goals:
- Enjoys being at school and can separate from parent/caregiver with minor difficulty
- Gets along with others (peers and adults)
- Has positive self-image
- Illustrates increasing self-control and independence
- Shows respect for own and others belongings
- Willing to try new activities
- Able to cope with unexpected situations
- Develops caring attitude and learns to express sympathy
- Communicates verbally with adults and children
- Willing to share, take turns and/or cooperate
- Demonstrates age-appropriate self-help skills
- Assumes responsibility
- Follows 3-4 step directions
- Listens attentively
- Puts forth effort
- Shows organizational skills and cares for materials
Physical Development (Small and Large Motor)
Our Pre-K program develops the following skills:
- Enjoys art projects and exploring with many art materials
- Holds pencil and crayon correctly and uses them comfortably
- Hold scissors correctly and uses them effectively
- Draws lines and circles
- Paints and draws with some design
- Increased Fine Motor Development: cutting, coloring, pasting, painting, threading, pouring, molding, sorting, collaging, buttoning, zipping
- Shows dominant hand
- Crosses mid-line
- Demonstrates eye-hand coordination
- Increased Large Motor Development: climbs easily; actively runs, jumps, hops, throws, catches, balances on one foot, gallops and skips; learns to pump legs when swinging
Language Development and Reading Readiness
Our Pre-K program creates life-long love of reading with efforts to:
- Develop literacy skills through language-rich/print-rich environment
- Develops a larger vocabulary through stories and discussion
- Recalls a story and is able to answer open ended questions
- Recognizes and prints first name
- Participates verbally in circle time and classroom discussions
- Speaks clearly and in complete sentences
- Copies shapes and letters
- Recognizes majority of upper and lower case letters
- Beginning to identify sounds with letters
- Rhymes simple words and participate in singing songs
- Listens to and comprehends books/enjoys and values reading
Math and Science Readiness
Our Pre-K program prepares your child for STEAM education:
- Counts to 20
- Recognizes numbers 1 -20
- Recognizes 6 geometric shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, diamond)
- Identifies and completes simple patterns
- Seriates in 5 parts (small to large)
- 5 part sequencing (order of events)
- Beginning to understand relationship between abstract numerals and what they represent in concrete terms (calendar; number line; counting by 10’s)
- Enjoys experimenting and shows an interest in the world around him/her
- Practices observation skills and gains experience making predictions based on observations
- Increased awareness of effect humans have on environment and other living things
