About Cadence Academy Preschool in Middlebury, CT

Cadence Academy Preschool’s commitment is to provide quality care in a warm and nurturing environment where children are made to feel welcomed. Qualified staff lead children through a myriad of activities designed to meet their particular physical, social, intellectual, and developmental needs.

Developmentally appropriate practices are supported by Cadence Academy Preschool staff to enhance the development of each child. Activities and centers are carefully planned to promote individual creativity, expressive language, and problem solving skills and positive self-esteem and full growth potential.

Language Arts

Language is an important part of any program for young children. The environment is filled with posters, signs and reading material to foster letter recognition. A good teacher encourages children’s speech by talking with them, by paying attention when they speak and by responding appropriately. Staff includes children in conversation, describe actions and ask open-ended questions.

The Writing Center in the preschool room provides the children with opportunities to strengthen their finger and hand muscles; a prerequisite needed to form letters. The writing center provides envelopes, paper, stamps and note cards for children to write “letter and notes” to friends and family. The child learns language through experiences, and by interacting with adults and other children, as well as singing and role playing. Circle time is filled with conversations, i.e. descriptions of their weekend, name and letter recognition. Language is an avenue of self-expression and is an important part of your curriculum.

Art

Art media offers the child avenues for discovery of creative expression. The teachers supply material needed for drawing and painting: pencil, paper, crayons, markers, and paints in the assorted colors. The product is the child’s. It is his/her own creation. We will encourage their efforts, but we do not give the children direction or set any kind of pattern.

Science

Young children are born explorers. They are curious and love to investigate. Teachers provide an environment that invites children to explore and discover, as well as formal weekly science experiments in the preschool room, where children build skills to predict and assess. Science areas in both toddler and preschool rooms have various books, magazines, magnets, and microscope that allow for independent learning. Trips outside to the play yard to gather leaves and caterpillars, exploring the weather and watching the clouds; are daily experiences that foster their curiosity and help children discover the world of science.

Mathematics

Children develop mathematical skills at individual paces, and by using processes such as addition and subtraction every day. Opportunities for reasoning, estimating, adding, and subtracting are provided each day through the use of manipulative, sorting games, discussion in circle time and various experiences that occur throughout the day.

Fine Motor

Developing muscles in hands and fingers is an important aspect in the growth of young children. This development helps them hold crayons, pencils, and scissors. Teachers provide opportunities for children to do table work where they can cut pictures from magazines or work at the computer. Patterns and various shapes are utilized. Modeling clay, colored pencils and markers are provided for drawing and exploring.

Gross Motor

Children need opportunities to engage in activities such as running, balancing, and grasping large objects. We provide children these opportunities by utilizing outdoor play as well as indoor games such as rolling balls, Duck, Duck Goose “and “Four Corners”.

Social Studies

Children live in a community just as adults do, and they are eager to understand it. They act out different roles of people whom they have met in Dramatic Play. They enjoy having visitors such as the firemen or a dentist who come to the classroom. They ask questions about the role of the President during elections. Discussions often take place concerning other states and the differences in their weather and environment as compared to their own state.

A good classroom also allows children to see the differences among people. Multi-ethnic books, dolls and posters may be found throughout the rooms. Traditions of various families are carried out during holiday celebrations. A globe is available for them to view all the foreign countries alongside their own USA.

Music and Movement

Each center has a variety of musical instruments. Children are encouraged to sing with peers and teachers, and spontaneous singing enhances our curriculum. Movement to music through dancing or marching as the group sings, in addition to musical games such as “The Hokey Pokey”, allow children the opportunities to work large and small muscles while having fun.

Before and After School Program

The Region 15 Before and After School Program (BAS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to making safe, nurturing, and affordable before and after school care available to children in grades kindergarten through grade six, in the Middlebury-Southbury community of Region 15.