Our Approach
At Urban Toddlers preschool, we are influenced by a number of early childhood curricula that guide our practice. We apply many aspects of progressive curricula that we think fit well with our cultural identity and social needs. Whole Child
At Urban Toddlers we emphasize the development of the “whole child”. We follow the theoretical perspectives of Jean Piaget, who believed that children learn best when they build understanding through direct experiences with people and objects in the world around them. Children are encouraged to “construct” their own knowledge by pursuing their
personal interests and goals, guided by trained adults. Hands On Learning
We believe in multi-sensory learning; children learn more by touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, and exploring. Educational reformer John Dewey believed that learning is a social activity that is intimately associated with our connection with other human beings; our teachers, our peers and our families. Curriculum
We use the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum and the Birth to Three Matters curriculum as our manual for planning. We use “Letters and Sounds” phonics program and “Abacus” to teach literacy and numeracy aspects, respectively. We make age/development appropriate adjustments when needed, based on children’s needs and readiness. Reflecting Egypt’s multi-ethnic and multi-lingual heritage, Urban Toddlers offers classes in both English and French as well as daily Arabic instruction. Staff
Our staff is comprised of highly trained professionals, who are specialized in early childhood development and education. Our teachers have all been selected for their training, experience and their sensitivity to the varied needs of individual children as well as their talent and readiness to learn. We offer continuous in-house professional development for our teaching staff; reading groups, peer observations and workshops for teachers throughout the school year. We encourage our teachers to invest in their professional development by taking recommended courses in Early Childhood Care and Development. Some of our teachers are native English and French speakers. Assistants are on hand to help throughout the day. Student Eligibility
Children between the ages of 18 months and 4 years are accepted at Urban Toddlers. We have a limited number of spaces and therefore acceptance into the preschool is on a “first come first served” basis. An entry interview with parents is required prior to student acceptance.
