Joyful Journey Preschool
Children's Ministry
In our Children's Ministry, all classes participate in interactive Bible lessons, utilizing sensory learning and active play to create an engaging and memorable experience. Our weekly gatherings in the Church features a collective reading of a Bible story and singing. Afterwards, children are dismissed to their classrooms for craft time, Bible verse recitation and singing, all tied to the story.
The Creative Curriculum
All of our classes incorporate Creative Curriculum in their daily schedule. This is an early childhood curriculum that emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning to foster children's confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills. It's designed for children from infancy through kindergarten and focuses on developing children in four areas: social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. The curriculum is structured around 11 interest areas, encouraging active exploration and engagement.
Here's a more detailed look at some key interest areas:
Art:
Encourages creativity and expression through various mediums like painting, drawing, and sculpting.
Discovery:
Features science-related materials and activities to foster curiosity and exploration.
Library:
Offers books and other reading materials to promote literacy and language development.
Outdoors:
Provides opportunities for nature exploration, physical activity, and sensory experiences.
Sand and Water:
Offers materials for tactile exploration and experimentation with different textures and properties.
Music and Movement:
Encourages rhythm, creativity, and physical expression through music and movement activities.
Cooking:
Allows children to engage in hands-on cooking experiences, fostering practical skills and learning about food.
Computers:
Provides access to technology for educational and creative activities.
Toys and Games:
Features a variety of toys and games to support learning and social interaction
Blocks:
Offers opportunities for construction, problem-solving, and imaginative play.
Dramatic Play:
Provides spaces for role-playing, imaginative scenarios, and developing social-emotional skills.
Heggerty
Heggerty is used daily in our older Preschool class, Pre-Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten programs. It is a research-based literacy program that is taught with explicit teacher modeling and scaffolding support. This fast, fun, and effective, 10-minute lessons deliver age-appropriate instruction in critical phonemic awareness and early literacy skills.
FUNdations
Pre-Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten use FUNdations curriculum. FUNdations’ multimodal approach to reading, spelling, and handwriting makes learning to read fun for students and teachers. It lays the groundwork for lifelong literacy through a proven approach to Structured Literacy that is aligned with the science of reading.