Early Childhood Program

Our Early Childhood Program is where young children's thirst for learning begins. It is filled with creative hands-on activities

that not only shape their minds but their hearts as well. Our extensive curriculum begins in our Early Childhood Program, Nursery (3 year olds) and Pre K (4 year olds). Partnered with the Lynch Foundation Early Childhood Project we develop language and early literacy skills, critical thinking, math, science and social studies skills. Most importantly students build personal and social relationships. 

Children need to feel safe and loved. This is where our teachers excel. They learn best when they are involved in their learning. Compassion for their students creates an environment that nurtures the social, emotional, academic and physical needs of all their students. They learn best when they are involved in their learning. Through play, students explore, investigate, inquire, solve problems and create as they take ownership for their learning. Teachers model instructions through inclusion, collaboration, interaction and hands-on-activities. This allows children and their families to feel valued for their unique and special qualities. An integral part of our program is Spirituality. Spirituality lays the foundation where we create a culture of kindness, respect and acceptance. This foundation provides our students with a strong moral compass. 

The Early Childhood Education programs at Holy Name Parish School includes our Nursery Program for 2.9 year olds, PreK for 4 year olds, and Kindergarten for 5 year olds.

Holy Name Parish School has a partnership with The Lynch Family Foundation Early Childhood Initiative

The Foundation provides:

1. Direct funding and grants for new classrooms to expand capacity with the goal of providing the opportunity for early education for all.
2. Supporting Educators and Administrators through coaching professional development.
3. ELA and Math curriculums are developmentally appropriate providing school readiness with positive outcomes for children.

The driven force behind this initiative is to provide and support high quality Early Chidlhood education. Our program supports the social and emotional growth and  competence for young learners.

You may choose from the following schedules for each program: 

Nursery: 
The Early Childhood Nursery Program is a full day program, Monday through Friday.

PreK:
The PreK Program operates is a full day program, Monday through Friday.

Kindergarten: 
The Kindergarten Program operates full days,  Monday through Friday.

NURSERY PROGRAM

Philosophy:

Our Nursery Program emphasizes social and emotional growth through developmentally age appropriate activities for three to four year old children.  Through cooperative learning, exploration, and hands-on activities, we aim to foster a love for learning in all our students.  We provide a safe, nurturing environment that helps to build positive self-esteem and a feeling of independence and accomplishment.  We believe that each and every child is special with unique gifts and talents.  

Goals:

The Holy Name Nursery curriculum consists of a variety of ever evolving activities that will help in the development of language, literacy, early mathematics, art, music, and gross and fine motor skills.  Students will be given the opportunity to work independently, cooperatively, and one-on-one.

Requirements for attending our Early Childhood Program include:

• Child must be 2.9 years old as of September 1.
• Child must be toilet trained.
• Child brings own lunch or purchases lunch through our hot lunch program. 

PreK PROGRAM

Religion:

The purpose of the PreK Religion Curriculum is to introduce students to God and Creation.  The students will develop an understanding that God created each person to be special and that He love us all.  Students will realize that we are all members of God’s Family and that we must live each day loving God, working and playing respectfully, and taking good care of each other.

Language Arts:

The purpose of the PreK Language Arts Program is to enable students to grow in areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.  Activities in this program are designed to prepare the children for a positive learning experience: learning the alphabet, listening and following directions, phonemic awareness, and emerging writing skills.  The children will come to know that it is through language, whether written or oral, that communication takes place.

Mathematics:

The purpose of the PreK Mathematics Curriculum is to introduce students to the basic mathematical concepts of number sense.  These skills are developed through problem solving, critical thinking, cooperative learning, and hands on activities. Through the use of these various methods we will lay the foundation on which more complicated processes can be built.

Social Studies:

The purpose of the PreK Social Studies Curriculum is to expose the students to their community, their country, and their world.  Monthly and seasonal thematic units provide the cross-curricular integration for this program.

Science:

The purpose of the PreK Science Curriculum is to introduce the students to the basics in the areas of Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, and the Human Body.  Through teaching, observing, and hands-on activities, students will develop problem solving techniques and the ability to draw their own conclusions.  The integration of science across the curriculum enables children to experience important relationships common to everyday situations.

Kindergarten PROGRAM

Religion:

The purpose of the Kindergarten Religion Curriculum is to emphasize that each of us is special and that God loves us all as members of God’s family. We emphasize the importance of values appropriate to their age level: kindness, being a friend, love, God's gifts to the Earth, and religious holidays.

Language Arts:

The purpose of the Language Arts Program is to develop the learning of words through Phonics and Vocabulary, reading comprehension strategies, the writing process, communication, and the love of literature. Children are exposed to the different genres. We focus on the mechanics of the writing process in terms of grammar and structure. Students go from emergent readers to readers throughout the school year. 

Mathematics:

The purpose of the Mathematics Curriculum is to have every child understand and solve problems successfully. This is accomplished through understanding number sense, computation operations, number patterns, measurement, geometry, and probability. We encourage students to solve problems collaboratively as teams. We use the smart board and manipulatives as tools to enhance their learning.

Social Studies:

The purpose of the Social Studies Curriculum is to expose the students to their country and the world in which they live. This is achieved through literature, art, music, and dramatic play. We incorporate thematic units throughout the school year such as apples in the fall, community helpers, germs, penguins in the winter, and ladybugs in the spring. We incorporate project based learning as much as we can. 

Science:

The purpose of the Science Curriculum is to introduce the concept of scientific methods through experiments, which will help the students understand how things around us are made and how they work. They will do this through the study of living and non-living things, animals, plant life, matter, earth science and the human body.