The Learning Academy’s Curriculum
FOR AGES 6 MONTHS TO 12 YEARS
The Learning Academy is an early learning and daycare center that uses a comprehensive, research based, Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum®. For nearly 30 years, Teaching Strategies (Creative Curriculum®) has believed that the best and most powerful way to improve child outcomes is through effective teaching. They have created forward-thinking, comprehensive, research-based and research-proven curriculum resources. These help teachers and care givers to be their most effective, while still honoring their creativity and respecting their critical role in making learning exciting and relevant for every child.
Their supportive curriculum solutions are used by early childhood educators across the country, helping them provide children with developmentally appropriate programs that support active learning and promote progress in all developmental areas.
Curriculum & Programs
Infant Care
As an infant grows so does their minds and bodies. Our teachers provide a loving, caring, nurturing and educational atmosphere. During the infant stage babies:
Social and Emotional
- Smiles spontaneously
- Likes to play with caregivers
- Mimics some movements and facial expressions
Language/Communication
- Babbles with expression and mimics sounds he or she hears
- Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired
- Will start to respond when they hear talking by smiling or facial expression
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
- Responds to affection
- Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
- Watches faces closely
- Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance
Physical Development
- Holds head steady, unsupported
- Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
- May be able to roll over from tummy to back
- Can hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toys
- Brings hands to mouth
- When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows
Toddler Curriculum
This stage of development is one of the most critical times in a child’s life to learn and obtain new information. In our toddler rooms we focus on the whole development of the child. Our teachers will provide various learning experiences each day.
Social and Emotional
- Sharing with others
- Showing affection to familiar people
- Explores alone
- Language/Communication
- Starting to use several single words
- Uses verbal and physical cues to express themselves
- Addressing others by name or pointing
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
- Discovering and know what things are
- Scribbles on his own
- Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures; for example, sits when you say “sit down”
Physical Development
- Can Walk alone
- Learning to walk up steps and run
- Can help undress himself or herself
Preschool & Pre-K
They become more independent and begin to focus on others (adults and children) outside of their family. They love to explore and ask questions about the world around them. During this stage, children should be able to ride a tricycle, use safety scissors, notice a difference between girls and boys, help to dress and undress themselves, play with other children, recall part of a story, and sing a song.
Social and Emotional
- Enjoys doing new things
- Is more and more creative with make-believe play
- Cooperates with other children
- Talks about what she likes and what she is interested in
Language/Communication
- Knows some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she”
- Sings a song or says a poem from memory such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels on the Bus”
- Tells stories
- Can say first and last name
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
- Names some colors and some numbers
- Understands the idea of counting
- Starts to understand time
- Remembers parts of a story
- Understands the idea of “same” and “different”
- Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts
- Starts to copy some capital letters
Physical Development
- Hops and stands on one foot up to 2 seconds
- Catches a bounced ball most of the time
- Pours, cuts with supervision, and mashes own food
- Uses scissors
School Age Curriculum
When the children arrive from school the learning doesn’t stop. The Learning Academy provides educational activities, homework and reading readiness time. We also provide transportation before and after school. Full-day care is available during school closings and breaks. The children will get to explore new things through field trips and new experiences during school and summer closings.
Creative Curriculum® Checklist
38 RESEARCH-BASED OBJECTIVES
The 38 research-based objectives are at the heart of everything we do and they define the path teachers take with the children in their classroom.
The objectives cover 10 areas of development and learning, including broad developmental areas, content areas, and English language acquisition. Many objectives also include dimensions that guide teachers’ thinking about various aspects of that objective and help clarify what it addresses.
