Timeless Teachings in a Changing World

​

Emerging 3’s

Our youngest class, of 2½-3 year olds, is all about transitions. Our students are transitioning from toddlers to preschoolers; moving from dependence to independence.  Learning to make confident separations from parents is an important milestone for younger 3’s.  Our main goal for these early learners is to provide the children with a positive, safe and enriching first school experience. A predictable environment with nurturing teachers helps us achieve these goals.

Our teachers foster exploration of materials, model and promote positive social interactions, and provide opportunities to bolster each child’s self-help skills. These students are at the beginning of their educational journey. We emphasize learning through the exploration of art materials, music and play. These Emerging Preschoolers are encouraged to use all five of their senses in discovering the joy of learning.

We say, “try it.” They say, “I did it!”

 

3 and 4 year olds

As children grow into early childhood, their world begins to open up. Your 3 year old is becoming more independent and beginning to focus more on adults and children outside of the family. They will want to explore and ask questions about the world around them more readily.

The 3’s child is strengthening her/his cognitive, physical, language and communication skills. Our 3-Year-Old program is designed to build a child’s confidence through both small and large group activities and through independent and teacher lead activities.

A 3 year old is still emotionally developing, requiring patience and the opportunity to express themselves through many avenues, especially process art, music and movement. As our 3’s are becoming more aware of and sensitive to the feelings of others, we embrace the concept of empathy through games, activity centers and imaginative play. Our 3’s class is provided with a variety of social encounters, decision-making opportunities, focusing exercises and intentional activities. They learn best in self-directed play. 

Phonemic awareness will be naturally part of every day through literature, word play, rhyming and song. Our 3’s children are at the beginning of their symbol making stage and children will be encouraged, when ready, to work on grapha-motor tasks. Your child will be provided ample time for inquiry into science and math using natural materials and games. We provide relevance to the world outside of the classroom through our literature based curriculum and thematic units. We foster and encourage children’s educational and personal growth as their individual learning style blossoms.

 

Pre-K

The Pilgrim Pre-Kindergarten class is dedicated to creating an environment where every child is offered the tools, the freedom, and the guidance to maximize their potential, all the while developing and refining their innate joy of learning. We offer a balance of freedom for self motivated exploration, as well as the structure of teacher lead instruction.

Daily activities provide for individual and group time, active and quiet time, child directed and teacher lead experiences. We offer ample inside independent play in block centers, arts and craft centers, manipulatives, games and puzzle centers, imaginative play areas, Lego building, iPad and library centers. Daily outside play on our beautiful playground is in all but the most extreme inclement weather conditions. Our theme-based curriculum featuring carefully chosen children’s literature is created to reflect our belief that all children deserve the opportunity to develop positive self-esteem and excitement in discovering the world around them. We place an emphasis on exposure to quality children’s literature, phonemic awareness, math readiness, the natural sciences, authentic child lead art and music through hands on experiences. Children enjoy Spanish lessons weekly and yoga lessons bimonthly. Special importance is placed on guiding students in their path to socialization, empathy, independence, self-expression and self-control.

 

Pilgrim Pre-Kindergarten provides a smooth transition into your child's kindergarten experience. Our curriculum follows the mandates of the NJ State Core Curriculum Preschool Standards as well as the recommendations of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

 

Afternoon Program

Pilgrim's extended day program builds and extends the preschool experience and curriculum. Children are offered learning games, literature and science explorations. The children can dive deeper into topics that were touched upon during the morning program. The children also benefit because they are building resilience over the longer day. Snack is served and the playground is utilized here as it is in the mornings. This programming is built into the Pre-K program 3 days per week and is offered to one classroom of 3 year olds on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

​