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To encourage a young child’s positive self-image and
feelings of personal worth and self-esteem.
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To support and guide growth and understanding of
relationships with other people.
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To provide a loving, supportive environment for
intellectual, physical, social and emotional development.
NURTURING A LOVE OF LEARNING
Nurturing…
| Noroton Presbyterian Nursery School provides a loving, supportive
Christian environment in which children, ages two through five, play,
grow in confidence and learn. At NPNS, we balance empowerment with
support to cherish and nurture each child’s potential. |
A Love…
| Fostering a love for classroom experiences, our small class
environment encourages children to collaborate, share and learn
together. Children love to play - it is “the work of children.” At NPNS,
we purposefully create meaningful experiences in an environment designed
for play and exploration, which encourages each and every child to
develop social awareness and responsibility. Our program has
specialized, age-appropriate experiences to excite and encourage
children on their journey to kindergarten readiness. |
Of Learning…
| At NPNS, we believe children are born with a natural curiosity about
the world and that nurturing this curiosity with careful listening and
support is the foundation to successful learning. We have overlaid our
traditional curriculum with the proven and highly respected Reggio
Emilia approach to early childhood education. This approach allows
children to learn through direct experiences, acquiring the core skills
for successful learning through critical thinking and collaboration. |
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
NPNS flourishes as a ministry of
Noroton Presbyterian Church. Children’s
spiritual development emerges when it is supported and surrounded by an adult
world that models Christ-like behavior. The gifts of the spirit are taught and
modeled in all our interactions with children. They are also the core of our
weekly chapel service for the 4’s and Pre-K programs. Daily prayer and song,
Bible stories and Christian-based themes are integrated into our daily
activities. The church further supports nursery school families by offering
childcare through Tot Drop. It also invites NPNS families to its Mom-to-Mom
parenting program, Bible studies, and small groups.
CURRICULUM
The curriculum at NPNS is based on the standards set by the
Connecticut Board of Education – Preschool Curriculum Goals and Benchmarks. It
is emergent and developmentally based on the ages of the children attending the
program. The curriculum allows us to maintain the integrity of sound teaching
principles and at the same time have a strong emphasis on art, literature and
science as a basis for learning. There is an education coordinator to assist
staff in curriculum development and implementation.
NPNS provides a print-rich, language rich environment in which books, visual
displays and verbal interactions broaden the child’s understanding of the
familiar world. Active play in our gym and on our playground helps to develop
gross motor skills. Songs, instruments and creative movement in shared group
time further enrich our comprehensive curriculum.
THE REGGIO WAY
The
Reggio Emilia Teaching Philosophy
Over
the past few years Noroton
Presbyterian
Nursery School has begun to embrace the highly
acclaimed Reggio Emilio approach to pre-school education, which studies have
proven to be a highly effective approach to early childhood teaching and
learning.
So, what
is Reggio all about?:
It is
based on the beliefs that…
- Young
children are competent and capable.
- Nursery
school is one of the principle arenas where young children are first
immersed socially, culturally, physically and emotionally in teaching and
learning.
- Teachers can
effectively support and nurture a child’s natural curiosity, enthusiasm and
creativity, and provide an open and loving environment for children to
explore open-ended materials and their environment.
- Children
express themselves in many ways, including dramatic play, collage,
sculpture, words, song, movement, painting, drawing, building, music, and
many, many more…
- Teachers
work with children and parents to help create an environment that encourages
children to communicate effectively, investigate problems and challenges,
research topics of interest, and develop a love of learning.
- The
interests and work of the children should drive the curriculum, which in
turn will foster more peer collaboration, critical and creative thinking,
problem solving and deeper mastery of basic skills and independent thought
and action.
- The emphasis
is placed on the process of learning rather than only the end product.
- Basic skills
such as literacy are best explored by young children through a context that
is meaningful to them, such as a mail center where children can explore the
alphabet by writing letters to their classroom friends.
So
here’s the question: This all sounds well and good, but what about the pre-reading, math, and science
skills that are so highly regarded is this community? How will a child who
has achieved a greater sense of self, a sense of community, and a sense of
social responsibility fare in such an academically driven community?
Here’s the answer: Children exposed to this teaching philosophy, provided with inquisitive
environments and encouraged to collaborate with peers, enter kindergarten with
highly developed pre-reading, math and science skills. In addition to
these basic skills, our students will also have a stronger sense of self and
will be able to think, create, solve problems, and truly value the learning
process. Seeing children engaged, taking ownership, supporting each other
and sharing their curiosity is the joy each of our teachers witness and what
makes us believe this philosophy has merits far beyond kindergarten, and into
our student’s lives forever…
Example of How a Project Emerges:
How a Project Emerges
PARENTS IN PARTNERSHIP
The involvement of
parents is central to the success of NPNS.
Parents are partners in the educational experience and as such, NPNS
welcomes parents’ active participation.
There are many ways to volunteer and be part of your child’s nursery
school experience from helping in class, reading a story, organizing a project,
or serving on the Board of Directors.
