Preschool I

3-4 years

In Pre-School 1, there is increased structure in daily routine to include whole group, small group, and independent activities. Circle time is expanded to include review of calendar, weather, songs, goals for the day. A second Circle time is added in the afternoon, so children can review their day. The Learning Centers are expanded to include fine motor manipulatives, language arts, and construction. Classroom “helpers” graduate to jobs (ex: line leader, weather watcher), and verbal skills are encourage to manage conflict. Teachers introduce pre-reading and pre-math activities, including letter and number concepts.

The teacher-to-child ratio is this classroom is 1 to 12 at Children First, and 1 to 10 at Heritage. Differences in West Virginia and Virginia Licensing Standards dictate each program’s classroom ratios.