Meeting Your Child’s Learning Needs

We’re committed to assessment-based curriculum. Why is this so important? Since curriculum is what happens in the classroom every day, when it’s customized to the developmental needs of the specific children in that class, it is more effective. Assessment-based curriculum means children are exposed to, and given practice in, those skills that they are ready to learn.

In order for assessment-based curriculum to accurately meet each child’s needs, teachers must observe for important milestones and capabilities. These are categorized by domain to help teachers focus their observations and lesson planning, and to make children’s progress more evident. For younger children, the five overall domains are:

• Approaches to Learning: learning about problem solving and goal setting
• Cognitive Development: learning about the world
• Language Development: learning about communicating
• Physical Development: learning about body and movement
• Social-Emotional Development: learning about self and others

As children grow and enter Early Preschool, Preschool and Pre-K, these domains get more specific because the capabilities and skills they are learning become much more complex.

• The Cognitive domain is now separated into Science, Math, Social Studies, Logic & Reasoning, and Creative Arts Expression.
• Language is separated into Language and Literacy.
• Physical Development becomes Physical Development & Health as children learn how to be safe and to identify what is healthy and unhealthy.

At our school, the curriculum develops as your child develops. The curriculum in each classroom targets the emerging skills of the children in that class, ensuring an optimal learning experience for all children on the School Readiness Pathway

If you’re interested, here are some additional resources on the subject of learning domains:

1. www.apa.org
2. www.naeyc.org
3. http://www.zerotothree.org/parenting-resources/