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Oakland, CA
BlueSkies for Children formerly AOCS
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Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. |
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Review this preschool |
neighborhood: Fruitvale · Telephone: (510) 261-1076 · Website: www.blueskies4children.org
General Approach to Learning
| Play-based | |
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Play-based with some structure |
| Predominantly teacher-led instruction | |
| Montessori | |
| Waldorf | |
| Co-op | |
| Reggio-Emilia |
source:
Director's Comments
Caring for Infants, Toddlers and Pre-schoolers, Blueskies for Children programs for children are all based on principles of respect: respect for the child's unfolding growth process, respect for the child's individual temperament, respect for proven principles of child development and respect for the needs of an individual as part of society. This respectful approach to the care of young children is demonstrated through six age-appropriate classroom and yard spaces, educated and thoughtful caregivers, nutritious meals and snacks, quiet naps and rest time, and facilitated play with other children. Balanced attention is provided for all areas of the child's development - physical, social, emotional and cognitive - to support and challenge each one to develop the self-esteem and social awareness that will inform all future human interaction and educational endeavors. The Hedco Infant Toddler Center includes programs for children under 2?; classrooms for the older children are in the Ellen Sherwood Nursery School. Offering care over a 5-year age span allows a rare level of consistency for children, with the learning in each developmental classroom building on what came before and supporting what comes next. BlueSkies families become part of a community where the children know each other like siblings, the teachers build special connections to the family, and ultimately families build bonds to other families that last far beyond BlueSkies. BlueSkies values and celebrates diversity by creating a community from families of varying racial and cultural groups, religious beliefs, physical abilities and socio-economic and alternative backgrounds.
Social Skills & Work Habits
| OVERALL RATING (5.0) |
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| This school has increased my child's: | |
|---|---|
| Ability to listen and follow directions |
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| Ability to sit still for longer periods of time |
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| Ability to be a part of a group of children |
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| Self-sufficiency and independence |
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| Awareness of others’ feelings |
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| Cooperation with other children |
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source:
Curriculum and Teaching Approach
| PLAY-BASED | PLAY-BASED WITH SOME STRUCTURE | MOSTLY TEACHER LED | NOT FORMALLY IN CURRICULUM | CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| Language | Yes | |||||
| Oral language | - |
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- | - | n/a | |
| Nursery rhymes, poems, songs | - | - |
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- | n/a | |
| Storybook reading | - | - |
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- | n/a | |
| Emerging literacy skills | - |
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- | - | n/a | |
| Cognitive Development | n/a | |||||
| Math and number sense | - |
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- | - | ||
| Time & space | - |
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- | - | ||
| Sci. reasoning/physical world | - |
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- | - | ||
| Music | - | - |
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- | ||
| Visual arts | - |
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- | - | ||
| Physical activity | - |
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- | - | ||
| Other subjects taught | BlueSkies for Children places a strong focus on social-emotional development, understanding that strong foundations in this area form the basis for all future success in life. Children who understand themselves, and their place in the social milieu, will succeed academically when their brains are ready for the more structured cognitive focus of elementary school. | n/a | ||||
source:
Director's Comments
In all areas of learning, young children are most successful when given opportunities to make their own discoveries about the world.
Therefore the teachers' role is to structure classrooms and yards in such a way that the children's free exploration will lead them to interesting discoveries, appropriate to their age and development.
The low ratios allow the teachers to be available for coaching as needed to support the child's growth in social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
AOCS is a developmental pre-school, so there is no 'formal' curriculum. The learning is very organic. Drawings and paintings become more realistic, they begin to incorporate letters and words. Through building with blocks they learn spatial relations and math, etc.
Parent #2
none
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