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Preschool classes are from
8:40 to 11:20. Classes are offered 2, 3, or 5 days per
week. Two-day classes are Thursdays and Fridays while
the three-day classes are on Mondays, Tuesdays, and
Wednesdays. Preschool can be a morning only class, or
can be combined with Enrichment (which extends the day
to 1:40) and/or extended day. |
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Enrichment (8:40 AM - 1:40 PM) is an option for children in our Pre-K and Junior
Kindergarten classes. This program extends the morning preschool to 1:40 and is
offered to children four years and older. Children may enroll for 2 days
(Thursday and Friday), 3 days (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), or 5 days per
week. Enrichment can also be combined with the extended day program for families
who need care for the full day.
The morning time is dedicated to activities that are offered during the
preschool schedule. After lunch, the children are offered a short outdoor play
time which is followed by a curriculum that offers the extended learning of the
fine arts: topics include books and authors, artists and different types of art,
and music. Spanish is also offered one day per week.
The heart of the Enrichment program is the enhancement of creative expression
and understanding through literature, drama, music, and the visual arts. How is
it different from the regular classroom? Although the regular classroom includes
the arts, Enrichment focuses solely on the arts. Dr. Patricia Bell, a former
director of Discovery, developed the curriculum.
Art Goals
1. To stimulate visual awareness and drawing skills through specific exercises
that emphasize the dot, circle, and line families,
2. To introduce children to particular artists, illustrators, and styles,
3. To introduce children to particular art forms, including portraits, still
lifes, landscapes, abstracts, sculptures, stabiles, and stichery.
Music Goals
1. To enable children to participate fully in music: singing, listening, and
playing instruments,
2. To expose children to classical and folk music,
3. To assist children in learning basic music concepts: (a) tone matching, (b)
music moves up and down a scale, (c) volume, (d) tempo, (e) rhythm, and (f)
instrument families.
Literature and Drama Goals
1. To nuture joy and appreciation of the finest children's books,
2. To connect reading to children's creativity,
3. To play with words: rhyme, repeated sounds, and rhythms of language. |
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Jr. Kindergarten (Monday -
Friday, 8:40 AM - 1:40 PM) is an ideal class for
children who would benefit from starting kindergarten
when they are 6 rather than 5, and also for children who
just missed the kindergarten cut-off date by a couple of
months (children with September, October, or November
birthdays). Jr. Kindergarten includes Enrichment and can
also be combined with the extended day program for
families who need care for the full day.
The Jr. Kindergarten classroom is a bit more structured
than other preschool classes. The children complete
“bucket” activities each day. "Bucket" activies promote
fine motor/perceptual skills, language development,
math, and science skills.
Children in Jr. Kindergarten also participate in the
Enrichment curriculum, which offers the children
opportunities to learn more about the arts, authors,
literature, and music. In addition, they have Spanish
one day per week.
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Project Child (Monday - Friday, 8:15 AM - 10:45 AM, 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM, or 12:00
PM - 2:30 PM) is a free preschool program that is funded by the Illinois State
Board of Education. Discovery receives funding for this program under the Early
Childhood Block Grant and the Preschool For All Grant. For families who need
extended day, the free preschool is combined with our extended day program so
that the cost is reduced. Subsidized services (CHASI) is also accepted to help
pay for childcare. Children must be at least 3 years of age and not eligible to
attend Kindergarten.
The state of Illinois is hoping to provide free preschool for all children
within the next 10 years. To begin offering free preschool now, families must be
eligible by meeting at least one or two qualifiers. Consider the following
questions to determine if you may qualify for Project Child:
* Did your child have any problems at birth or have any recurrent health
problems?
* Does your family have added stresses such as divorce, new marriage, recently
moving, illness in family, parent deployed, etc.?
* Are you a single parent?
* Could you use financial assistance in paying for preschool?
* Has a parent or older sibling had difficulty in school?
* Is English your second language?
* Other...
If you can answer "yes" to any of the above questions, Project Child may be for
you. Below are the income guidelines, which are used to determine if you qualify
for the program by your income. Meeting these income guidelines is not a
requirement to qualify for this program.
Income Guidelines:
* $58,280 for a family size of 2,
* $73,240 for a family size of 3,
* $88,200 for a family size of 4,
* $103,160 for a family size of 5,
* For each additional person, add $14,960
If your annual family income falls under these guidelines, your family qualifies
for Project Child.
If you think you qualify for Project Child or have further questions, please
contact the Parent Coordinator. Screening is a two-part process to determine
eligibility. A parent interview/home visit is conducted, which will help to
determine if your family meets any of the above conditions. A preschool
screening is also done, using the Dial-3, which is a quick assessment in key
areas of development. |
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2-Day
(Thursday and Friday), 3-Day (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), or 5-Days per
week
Extended day is available for families who need all day care (hours are 7:00 AM
- 6:00 PM). Children in this program benefit from our preschool services,
enrichment program, and/or Jr. Kindergarten.
If the child arrives by 8:00 A.M., they can receive breakfast. In addition, they
will also receive lunch and two snacks (morning and afternoon). All lunches and
snacks are in compliance with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture guidelines.
Our yellow room is the largest classroom and is our opening and closing room.
The following schedule is an example routine of a preschool classroom with
extended day. Enrichment and Jr. Kindergarten routines vary (their class time
goes until 1:40, and then they take a nap from approximately 2:00 - 3:30).
7:00-8:30 - Opening activities and breakfast in Yellow Room
8:30-9:20 - Arrival - sign-in activities, open centers, small group activities
9:20-9:35 - Morning meeting - music & movement, daily news
9:40-10:00 - Snack Time
10:00-10:30 - Outside Fun
10:30-11:10 - Project work, center time
11:10-11:20 - Story Time
11:20-11:30 - Preschool class dismissal and prepare for lunch
11:30-12:00 - Lunch
12:00-12:30 - Prepare for nap and quiet activities
12:30-2:30 - Naptime (children who are still awake after 45 minutes may do quiet
table activities)
2:30-3:00 - Snack time and open centers
3:00-3:45 - Outside Fun
3:45-6:00 - Activities and open centers in Yellow Room |
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Summer
Camp is offered for 10 weeks during the summer (June 1 -
August 7, 2009) for children 3 years old (by May 31) up
to children who are going into 5th grade. Discovery's
Summer Camp has several options, including registering
for the number of weeks you prefer (between four and ten
weeks). You also may choose two, three, or five days per
week, and can choose what days you register for. Both
half day (8:40 - 11:20) classes and extended day (hours
are 7am - 6pm) are available. Summer Camp is an exciting
time around Discovery! Special activies are offered each
week, including sprinkler days, field trips, and special
guest visitors. |
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