About Program
Our Program
Preschool is a place of nurturance and growth, a place of endless discoveries and learning. Most of the children who are in our care first come to us when they are two or three years of age and stay until they leave for kindergarten at age five. As such, attending preschool is often the child’s first experience of being away from home. With this in mind, our program is designed to balance between structured teacher-directed learning and child-directed learning through play. It is our goal at Hope to develop the whole child.
"For whom the Lord loves, He reproves."
Proverbs 3:12
Discipline
Discipline is a process of guiding and training that begins with love. At Hope Lutheran Preschool we respect each child and his or her level of development, individual personality, and family and cultural differences. We create a positive learning environment with kind and experienced teachers, creative lessons, fun activities, plenty of play, as well as boundaries so as to foster positive behaviors. We believe the purpose of discipline is to correct actions that do not meet age appropriate benchmarks and to encourage behaviors that reflect understanding, self-control and respect for others.
Our program has a set daily routine and provides clear guidelines to help children know what is expected of them. Limits that relate to safety and protection of self, others, and the environment are clear and are enforced consistently in a positive manner. Children are given time to respond and rise to the expectations.
Teachers may use a variety of strategies depending on the child and the situation. These strategies include: gaining a child’s attention, staying in close proximity to the child, reminding the child of acceptable behavior and giving praise for acceptable behavior, redirecting behavior, and “time out.” “Time out” is the removal of a child for a short time (approximately one minute per year of age) for the situation in which the child is misbehaving.
The technique includes:
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Moving the child away from the activity to a quiet place within view,
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Telling the child why he/she has been removed, and
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Letting the child know that he/she may return to the activity when he/she chooses to behave within the stated guidelines and expectations.
School Special
We adore our pet turtle Scratchy, who’s loved and fed by our students. We also enjoy working in our school garden and watching fruits and vegetables grow. Our garden is home to citrus trees, a pear tree, an apple tree, and a fig tree. Other than fruit trees, we also plant vegetables in the garden. Zucchinis, squash varieties, kale, Swiss Chards, and cucumbers do well in our garden. The children show most excitement for the bright orange pumpkins that are harvested every year from our pumpkin patch in the garden.
Teacher to Student ratios vary by age.
In the age 2 class, the ratio is one adult to 5 to 6 children.
In the age 3 classes, the ratio is one adult to 7 to 8 children.
In the age 4 and 5 classes, the ratio is one adult to 8 to 9 children.
Toddler
2-3 Year-Old
For two-year-olds, preschool is often the first experience for them to be away from home or from their primary caregiver. We provide tender loving care to ensure a secure and comfortable environment to stimulate growth and learning through play, both outdoor and indoor. In playing, children are encouraged to interact with each other, share, and take turns. Inside the classroom, children learn fingerplays, sing songs, listen to stories, and learn to recognize the alphabets, numbers, colors and shapes. Children also take part in activities like painting, gluing and stamp painting, and other activities that help them develop eye-hand coordination.
A typical day for a 2-3 year-old
07:30 — 08:45 AM Receiving / Greeting children and free play
08:45 — 09:10 AM Clean Up / Large Motor Exercise
09:10 — 09:30 AM Use Bathrooms / Diaper Change / Wash Hands
09:30 — 09:50 AM Morning Snack
09:30 — 10:00 AM Monday - Music / Body Movement with Ms. Mandy (30 minute session)
09:50 — 10:30 AM Circle Time - Teaching of Lessons, Bible Stories, Stories, Fingerplays, Songs, Games, Art Projects etc.
10:30 — 11:25 AM Outdoor Play
11:25 — 12:20 PM Wash Up / Lunch
12:20 — 01:00 PM Quiet Indoor Play, Story Time, and Cleaning Up /D iaper Change for Nap
01:00 — 03:00 PM Nap Time / Rest
03:00 — 03:30 PM Story Time & Washing Up for Afternoon Snack
03:30 — 03:50 PM Afternoon Snack
03:50 — 04:30 PM Outdoor Play
04:30 — 06:00 PM Indoor Play & Goodbye
Pre-Schooler
3-4 Year-Old
We desire children to be happy and to develop strong characters of respect, responsibility, independence, empathy, and love for God. We provide a variety of play, fine arts, science, gardening, and music to encourage their love of discovery and learning. Children are given time to learn and play in large and small groups to develop social and problem solving skills. In summary, we like to focus on the process of learning, rather than the product. When the process of learning is established, the amazing product will follow.
A typical day for a 3-4 year-old
07:30 — 08:45 AM Receiving / Greeting children and Free Play
08:45 — 09:10 AM Clean Up / Stretching Exercise
09:10 — 09:30 AM Bathroom / Washing Up
09:30 — 09:50 AM Morning Snack
09:50 — 10:45 AM Circle Time — teaching of lessons, stories, Bible stories, fingerplays, songs, games, etc.
Monday — Music & Movement class with Ms. Mandy (30 minute session)
Wednesday — Science with Ms. Mandy (30 minute session)
Friday — Mandarin Class (20 minute session)
10:45 — 11:30 AM Use Bathroom / Outdoor Play
11:40 — 12:50 PM Lunch / Getting Ready for Nap
12:50 — 03:00 PM Nap Time / Rest
03:00 — 03:30 PM Story Time & Washing Up for afternoon snack
03:30 — 03:50 PM Afternoon Snack
03:50 — 04:30 PM Outdoor Play
04:30 — 06:00 PM Indoor Play & Goodbye
Pre-K
4-5 Year-Old
An important part of preschool is preparation for kindergarten and very soon your child will get there. But first, we want to introduce and familiarize your child with the types of schedules and routines he will find when he gets there. One of the biggest transitions for a child going to kindergarten is the increase in whole class instruction and independent work. Our pre-K program is designed as a full time, full day program to resemble that of the kindergarten program. To get your children ready, your pre-K child will participate in activities that are similar to what they will experience in kindergarten.
A typical day for a 4-5 year-old
07:30 — 08:45 AM Receiving / Greeting children and free play
08:45 — 09:10 AM Clean Up / Stretching Exercise
09:10 — 09:30 AM Devotion / Prayer — children learn Bible songs and stories and sing praises to God
09:45 — 10:00 AM Morning Snack
10:00 — 11:15 AM Circle Time — teaching of lessons, stories, fingerplays, songs, games, center activities etc.
Tuesdays — Music & Movement class with Ms. Mandy (30 minute sessions)
Thursday — Science with Ms. Mandy (30 minute session)
Friday — Mandarin (20 minute session)
11:25 — 12:00 PM Outdoor Play Cleaning / Washing Up for Lunch
12:00 — 01:00 PM Lunch / Getting Ready for Nap/Bedtime Story
01:00 — 03:00 PM Nap Time / Rest
03:00 — 03:30 PM Story Time & Washing Up for afternoon snack
03:30 — 03:55 PM Afternoon Snack
03:55 — 04:30 PM Outdoor Play
04:30 — 06:00 PM Indoor Play & Goodbye
Transitional Kindergarten
5-6 Year-Old
The TK program is similar to the PreK program above, in that it follows a similar schedule. In the first few months of the TK program, the students’ will have great resemblance to the PreK program as they review. Later on the year, however, the TK provide will move to more challenging academics, more independent projects, and activities that involved more cooperation and understanding.
A typical day for a 5-6 year-old
07:30 — 08:45 AM Receiving / Greeting children and free play
08:45 — 09:10 AM Clean Up / Stretching Exercise
09:10 — 09:30 AM Devotion / Prayer — children learn Bible songs and stories and sing praises to God
09:45 — 10:00 AM Morning Snack
10:00 — 11:15 AM Circle Time — teaching of lessons, stories, fingerplays, songs, games, center activities etc.
Tuesdays — Music & Movement class with Ms. Mandy (30 minute sessions)
Thursday — Science with Ms. Mandy (30 minute session)
Friday — Mandarin (20 minute session)
11:25 — 12:00 PM Outdoor Play Cleaning / Washing Up for Lunch
12:00 — 01:00 PM Lunch / Getting Ready for Nap / Bedtime Story
01:00 — 03:00 PM Nap Time / Rest
03:00 — 03:30 PM Story Time & Washing Up for afternoon snack
03:30 — 03:55 PM Afternoon Snack
03:55 — 04:30 PM Outdoor Play
04:30 — 06:00 PM Indoor Play & Goodbye