At CJEC, we believe that children are unique individuals with their own timetables. We support and encourage their development through our child-centered, individual attention, interactive curriculum. CJEC mission is to reinforce learning through student-centric educational programs with strong focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math Education) in a safe, fun, and collaborative environment.
Curriculum At a Glance
Language Development
- Dramatic play
- Listening to and telling stories
- Listening to music and singing songs
- Beginning to identify meaningful words
- Building vocabulary
- Reading readiness
- Phonics
Math Development
- Identifying shapes, sizes, patterns, and sequences
- Sorting and categorizing into sets
- Counting and comparison, one-to-one correspondence
- Measurements such as length and weight
- Using numbers in Practical Scenarios
- Graphing
Science Development
- Observing our world through the lens of science
- Sorting and categorizing items
- Observing and/or collecting nature
- Earth awareness – becoming the Earth friend
- Growing plants and observing stages of growth
- Exploring animals through hatching chicken eggs, butterflies, tadpoles, and more
- Discovering how stuff works
- Experiments
Social Studies
- Learning about similarities and differences in peers and their families
- Inviting family members to visit the school and share items or stories pertaining to their history, traditions, or culture; teach words in other languages; or read a book to the class
- People in our community through special visits
- Learning about people with disabilities
- Role-playing
Physical Development
Gross motor skills
- Balls to kick, throw and bounce, bean bags to toss, bubbles to chase
- Sand to scoop, pour, dig
- Simple games and sports skills such as throwing, hitting and/or kicking a ball, playing hopscotch
- Movement to music
- Building with large and small wooden blocks
Fine motor skills
- Tracing, copying, writing letters of the alphabet, writing in journals, etc.
- Using clipboards for portable writing or drawing desks in the classroom
- Drawing pictures, self-portraits, signing own name on paper, writing messages to friends
- Working with manipulatives such as stringing beads, Legos, nuts and bolts, spinning tops, sorting or creating a collage of small items.
Visual Arts
At CJEC, we value visual arts, music, and dramatic play as important building blocks in the learning process. In visual arts, the emphasis is on the process of exploring materials and how they can be manipulated, rather than the product of those manipulations. Our students are given the time, space, and freedom necessary to experience visual arts. These art experiences, whether independently or as part of a group, can help increase a child’s attention span, improve fine motor skills, strengthen confidence and emotional well-being while building independence.
- Drawing with crayons, pencils, chalk, markers, sidewalk chalk
- Painting with fingers, brushes, feathers, sponges, leaves, vegetables, and other materials
- Printmaking with rubber stamps, potato shapes, and various other objects
Cutting, tearing, gluing, and stapling
Shaping/forming and stringing beads
Creating collages
Building 3-dimensional objects
Students at CJEC enjoy visual arts, music, and drama with specialists in these areas, in addition to the artistic opportunities that are part of their everyday curriculum in the classroom. The teachers at CJEC will observe and assess children’s progress on an ongoing basis. Teachers consistently plan and adapt experiences within the curriculum to meet students’ needs. If one or more children need help in a specific area, the curriculum may be adapted in a variety of ways, which may include being placed in our developmental class. This class is structured to serve the needs of children who may be struggling. At CJEC we strive to enrich all our children.
Development Classes
Offering more one-on-one teacher-student time to understand the child’s thinking process, build trust, and increase student confidence.
CJEC Parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year (Fall and Spring). Teachers take note of students’ activities throughout the year in order to learn about each child, plan for individual and group needs, and communicate with parents on an ongoing basis.
- Offering more opportunities for exploration
- Simplifying an activity by removing stimuli
- Expanding an activity by adding components for exploration
Appealing to different senses and ways of exploring materials than previously used in order to engage different parts of the brain in the learning process
Planning individual, small group, and/or large group activities around a particular concept, skill, or area of concern.