Early Childhood Education Program for Two through Four-Year Olds Academic Program

The two, three, and four-year old program are taught in a center that helps students feel secure. The two through four year-old program is taught on the first floor of the school building. Issues and concerns are proactively addressed in weekly preschool “Safety-Net” meetings between all preschool teachers, paraprofessionals, and the school administration. Preschool programs at BIS are not run like typical daycare programs—all activities are designed to teach cognitive skills, facilitate positive social interaction, establish essential English-language skills, and foster emotional well-being within each child.

The educational program utilizes a wide variety of active hands-on learning experiences designed to promote self-confidence and build upon the natural inquisitiveness of children. Class activities are designed to create learning readiness, develop listening skills, enhance attention span, encourage spatial and perspective understanding, facilitate physical coordination, and encourage age-appropriate social interaction. Teachers frequently change activities to maintain the students’ enthusiasm for school and the learning experience. Activities at this level include: songs, music, nursery rhymes, creative arts, movement, manipulatives, drama, social games, story time, calendar, physical coordination activities, and other meaningful play. In addition to this, children in the four year-old program are exposed to more discovery learning activities and pre-reading and pre-writing activities. Pre-school classes take field trips at least once each quintile.

Early Childhood, Two through Four-Year Olds, After-School Programs

Gymnastics and Ballet is offered to students as an after-school program from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. once a week. Children in the two through four year-old program are monitored at all times and play separated from older students when on the playground.