Infants grow and learn by observing and experiencing their world through active participation with their environment.  Our infant room teachers make sure that each day all of our babies are provided with exciting and stimulating activities that challenge and open their sensitivities to the world around them.

The Infant Program at Almost Home recognizes the varying differences in all babies and their routines and schedules.  We lovingly provide the nurturing, warmth, and attention that infants require.  We always accommodate the changing needs of the infants as they grow and develop rapidly.  We provide age appropriate equipment that encourages curiosity and addresses the infants need to experience the world through their senses.  Music, literature, and toys that promote gross motor development and fine motor development are all incorporated into the program.  The teachers continually provide the babies with love, affection, and individual attention.  The environment is warm and cozy and clearly a place in which the babies not only feel loved, but feel safe and secure.

The schedules in the Infant rooms are based on the individual routines of each particular child.  Parents complete an extensive Infant Information form prior to their child's first day at Almost Home, detailing their child's schedule, routines, and rituals.  We also strongly encourage a visit to the center with the baby prior to the commencement date.  This visit takes place in the infant room with the teachers that will care for the baby.  This visit is a wonderful time for parents and teachers to meet, and for parents to explain and describe all the details concerning their child.  The teachers will use the information they receive at this visit, along with the Infant Information forms to develop an individual plan for each child.

Parents will be provided with a daily chart, completed by the teachers each day.  This chart details the child's activities for the day including feedings, naps, diaper changes, and special activities of the day.  Parents are always welcome to call the Infant room during the day to check on their child, and they are always welcome to visit at any time during the day.

The toddler stage is one of constant change, rapid growth, and development.  Almost Home offers programs for both young toddlers, ranging in age from 12 - 24 months, and older toddlers ranging in age from 24 - 36 months.  Learning occurs in almost every way throughout the day at this age.  Almost Home provides a program that helps children to follow a daily routine and schedule.  The children are provided with age appropriate equipment that challenges their innate curiosity.  Children are encouraged to explore and discover their environment.  Teachers work to foster group living while at the same time provide the individual attention, love, warmth, nurturing, and consistency which toddlers require for their own sense of security, and their own personal growth and development.

Each month the teachers will send home a calendar detailing the themes for each week and the special activities that are planned each day.  Parents will also be provided with a daily chart detailing their child's activities for the day including naps, meals, diaper changes, potty information, and special moments of the day for their child.  Parents are also free to call the teachers during the day to check on their child, or stop in and visit.

The toddler curriculum is based on an "integrated core curriculum" in which a theme is used as a tool in the planning and development of each program.  The themes will vary and will incorporate activities related to these themes.  These activities will include all aspects of the program including art, music, literature, science, cooking, dance, gross motor development, fine motor development, language development, and the ability to learn to share and get along with their peers and teachers in positive and constructive ways.  The activities will be process oriented with the emphasis put on the process of creating, exploring, examining, and working with materials.  Children will be made to feel successful in whatever they are doing.  Positive reinforcement will be provided by teachers along with encouragement to take risks and try new things.  Many of the curriculum areas will be designed to promote creativity and hands on learning for children.

The toddlers are grouped by age; 12 - 24 months and 24 - 36 months.  Both programs offer ritual and routine to the day while allowing plenty of room for flexibility depending on the day and the changing needs of the children.  Rituals and routines are an integral component to the program.  Children need consistency in order to feel safe and secure.  We believe it is only when children feel safe, secure, and loved that they can open themselves up to learning, to taking risks, and to trying new things, which is really what learning is all about.

Almost Home Programs offer a child centered approach to curriculum that encourages preschoolers to explore and discover their world. The curriculum is rich with activities and equipment that work towards the child's growing understanding of themselves and their environment. The teachers work to help the children to learn to work together as a group. Children are encouraged to gain a sense of responsibility for themselves as individuals, for the children in the class, and for their environment both in the classroom and out in the world. The development of positive self-esteem, creativity, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills are all goals of the preschool program.

Themes are used as tool in the development of an integrated curriculum. The three year olds are presented with new themes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The four years olds concentrate on one thematic unit each month. Integrated into these thematic units are literature, music, art, science, pre-math skills, pre-reading skills, writing, cooking, etc. This type of program helps children to understand and make connections between things. It makes learning fun, interesting, and challenging. Themes may include units on dinosaurs, the rain forest, the solar system, countries around the world, nutrition, etc.

A typical daily schedule for the preschool program is as follows:
— Circle time
— Snack
— Center time
— Outdoor play
— Story time
— Lunch
— Rest time
— Snack
— Outdoor play
— Center time
— Story time

The children are encouraged to work and grow at their own pace. The teachers work to meet the individual needs of each child as well as the entire group. The environment is nurturing and caring. The teachers continually use positive reinforcement, encouragement, comfort, and love with the children they work with.

The goals of our program include preparing the children both socially and academically for when they enter kindergarten. We strive to build a positive self image for each child, to help them learn to be problem solvers and critical thinkers. We want them to be able to take risks, to have self-confidence, and to view learning as a wonderful adventure.

The Kindergarten Enrichment program is designed to supplement the half day kindergarten classes offered in the public school. We offer programs in the morning and afternoon so the children can attend the Almost Home Enrichment program when they are not in public school. Children may attend on a part time or full time basis, attending the program five days a week or just a few. Transportation is provided by either the local bus company or by Almost Home.

The Kindergarten Enrichment program encourages children to explore their world in creative and exciting ways. Almost Home encourages the children to build on the skills they are learning in the public schools and creates an atmosphere in which many of these skills can be reinforced through various activities and learning centers. Learning by doing is stressed. We provide children with the tools necessary to become risk takers and critical thinkers. We encourage children to explore, create, and experiment with confidence. Children are encouraged to work independently and cooperatively in small groups and together as a class. The program is stimulating, creative, and fun and provides a magnitude of hands on experiences for children to learn and grow.

The day is typically structured with a meeting time, center time, snack, outdoor play, and another meeting time. Themes are used in the curriculum and literature is used as a foundation for many language arts activities. Children explore the world of math by using manipulative materials, math games, graphing activities, time, cooking, etc. Science and Social Studies themes involve constant interaction, observation, and experimentation with the environment. Music and the creative arts are an important component of the program. Computers are available in the classroom as well.

Almost Home offers before and after school care for children in Kindergarten through Sixth grade. Homework help, art, outdoor play, computer, cooking, science experiments are just some of the activities offered. Full time care is also available for public school vacations days and snow days.

Summer programs for school age children are offered at Almost Home. This program incorporates many field trips throughout the area, swimming at local pools or swimming areas, sports, art, computer, science experiments, cooking and more. It is an action packed summer filled with excitement every day.

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