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ACA prides itself on well-rounded, multi-faceted curricula that includes learning through books, music, art projects, nature, science, social studies, movement, and cooking. Dramatic play, blocks, puppets, and props are also used to enhance engagement and understanding. We focus on cognitive development, creative language, math concepts, self-help skills, physical development, self-esteem building, small motor skills, and discipline.
We strongly encourage creative play, as imagining and pretending are vital tools that children use to investigate the world around them. Through pretending, children learn social roles, cooperation, and prosocial values such as honesty, loyalty, truthfulness, negotiating skills, how to deal with disagreement, and how to express feelings in words.
We also encourage multicultural education and incorporate different cultures into all of our everyday learning processes. ACA’s multicultural staff and student body ensures that everybody learns about each other, from each other.
Teachers design the environments for children’s play and learning activities. These activities can be altered according to the children’s prior knowledge, interest, and individuality.
Math: Children learn pre-math skills and basic mathematical concepts such as sorting, grouping, matching, seriation, and comparing. Materials used include Unifix cubes, Cuisinaire rods, parquetry blocks, and countable objects (buttons, shells, keys, etc.).
Language: Children are exposed to stories of all nations and cultures in activities that emphasize listening and comprehension, following storylines, answering open-ended questions, rhyming, giving and understanding directions, and story writing. Our writing table is full of stimulating material such as paper, envelopes, recipe cards, telephone books, vocabulary flashcards, pens and pencils.
Science: Children learn the fundamentals of scientific investigation, including prediction, guessing, observation, recording, and drawing conclusions. Teachers encourage curiosity, hands-on practice, and endless questions about topics such as recycling, conservation, endangered animals, dinosaurs, and the human body.
