Little Thinkers Preschool

I'm so looking forward to seeing all of you at Open House this week! Here are a few important details to remember for the first day next week.

What does my child need to bring?
Lunch
Water bottle
Change of clothes (to stay in backpack)

What does drop off look like?
Drop off is between 9:00am-9:15am. You’ll walk your child to the door and for the first two weeks can stay with them at the morning work table as they become familiar with their environment.

What does pick up look like?
Pick up is at 2:00pm. We have an afternoon meeting right up until this point, so please don’t knock or open the door prior to that to maintain focus. I’ll open the door and allow each child to leave with their guardian. You may either stay in your car or wait outside.

When is tuition due?
Tuition is due the 1st of every month. The best method is to venmo to keep accurate records.

We all learn by repetition and engaging all our senses, but kids' brains up until age 6 or so are like sponges - soaking up everything around them. So no matter the subject matter, they are capable of learning so much more than we realize! Here's my assistant helping me plan my lesson on bees 🐝

Something we'll use this year to help students with time management and transitions is the Visual Timer app. Children at this age of no concept of time, which leads to a struggle when it's time to leave an activity or place. This resource gives them a bit ownership of their daily schedule.

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” – Fred Rogers

"How do you feel when you have no control over events? When that happens, we can feel frustrated, defeated and we begin to
emotionally disconnect. We worry about reacting the right way and what will happen if we don’t. People need some power and independence to feel confident. The same is true for children.
One of the primary struggles of early childhood is for independence (Berger, 2012). Erik Erikson, a developmental
psychologist, taught that children in the preschool years need to explore independence and be able to fail while feeling physically and emotionally safe (McLeod, 2018)."

I highly recommend this podcast for parents and early education teachers. Their research-based approaches for mentoring young students is inspiring in it's treatment of them as the real, curious, and adorable humans they are.

Listener Resources | How Preschool Teache Holland, A. L., & Ohle, K. A. (2020, May). "How can I help you?" Reconsidering behavior management. NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2020/how-can-i-help-you

Here's a little introduction to me! I earned my degree in elementary education at BYU after working as a substitute teacher during my undergraduate years. I was completely won over by my students and realized that spending time with kids, while taxing sometimes, is where I find true joy. After years dedicated to raising my gaggle of girls and loving my preschool co-ops with friends, I'm returning to teaching. This is my second year teaching preschool in my home and I love it! It allows me and my students to explore the ordinary letters and numbers in ways that are meaningful and authentic to them. My youngest is Amy Claire, and she'll be a student of mine for the next two years before kindergarten. I'd be honored to play a small role in these formative years of your child's education.

- Mandy

Little Thinkers Policies & Procedures

Mandy Crockett
BA in Elementary Education
Brigham Young University

Tuesdays & Thursdays
9am - 2pm

First Day
August 30th, 2022

Last Day
May 18th, 2023

Tuition
$250/month
Due the 1st of every month
$200 one time supplies fee

Child must be potty trained
Child must be at least 4 years old by the end of the calendar year
Students will need to bring a packed lunch
If someone other than the parent or guardian will be picking up a child, prior notice must be given to the teacher
The teacher is allowed to cancel due to sickness or travel and in such cases will provide a makeup day or prorate that month’s tuition

Daily Activities
A consistent daily schedule is planned to offer a balance of learning activities. Learning is both formal and informal. Play is planned for every day. Listening is balanced with talking, group activities with solitary time, indoors with the outdoors, quiet play with noisy play. Your child will have the opportunity for the following types of activities each day:
Large and small group activities
Self-directed play
Learning center activities
Music and Singing activities
Story Time
Outdoors (please plan clothing accordingly, we’ll be outside if the temperature is above 40 degrees)

Mission Statement

Little Thinkers Preschool provides a safe, developmentally appropriate, nurturing environment that promotes social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth, as well as a positive self-image and love of learning.

Philosophy
Little Thinkers Preschool embraces a comprehensive approach to educating and enriching the whole child. The curriculum is play based because play is the most appropriate mode for a young child’s learning. Children more readily absorb and retain knowledge when it feels natural and unforced. As a teacher, my responsibility is to provide a safe environment and materials, present them in a manner that allows the child to solve a problem, and then have that child explain and analyze their thinking. In doing so, they gain ownership of their knowledge and confidence in their abilities. "Education begins the moment we see children as innately wise and capable beings. Only then can we play along in their world." Vincent Gowmon

Aims
- teach children how to cooperate and resolve conflicts
- encourage a sense of adventure and wonder
- teach recognition of letters, phonics, numbers, colors, shapes, writing, and science
- assess each child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth and work to
achieve the best learning outcomes for each child.