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Oakland, CA
Merritt College Children's Center

Review this preschool

neighborhood: Redwood Heights / Skyline / Ridgemont ·  Telephone: (510) 436-2588  · Website: www.peralta.cc.ca.us

• Summary
• General Info
• School Philosophy
  & Day-in-the-Life
• Curriculum &
  Teaching Approach
• Quality of
  Teaching
• Home/School
  Connection
• Discipline,
  Health & Safety
• Ages, Schedule
  & Tuition
• Application &
  Admissions

General Approach to Learning

	Play-based
	Play-based with some structure
	Predominantly teacher-led instruction
	Montessori
	Waldorf
	Co-op
	Reggio-Emilia

source:

Director's Comments

The goals of the program are to offer high quality Centers that permit the children to discover and learn, to become decision makers and problem solvers, and to feel good about themselves. For the children to develop themselves in the areas of cognition (thinking), language arts (talking), literacy (reading), social/emotional (relationships) and physical development (moving and doing). Other program goals are: To develop a positive self-image and healthy concept. To maintain individual creativity while learning to work cooperatively with others. To encourage social, emotional, intellectual and physical growth through daily interaction with adults and children other than family members. To meet the adult needs of the parents whenever possible.

Curriculum and Teaching Approach

	PLAY-BASED	PLAY-BASED WITH SOME STRUCTURE	MOSTLY TEACHER LED	NOT FORMALLY IN CURRICULUM	CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT
Language					Yes
Oral language	-		-	-	n/a
Nursery rhymes, poems, songs	-		-	-	n/a
Storybook reading	-		-	-	n/a
Emerging literacy skills	-		-	-	n/a
Cognitive Development					n/a
Math and number sense	-		-	-	Yes
Time & space	-		-	-	Yes
Sci. reasoning/physical world	-		-	-	Yes
Music	-		-	-	Yes
Visual arts	-		-	-	Yes
Physical activity	-		-	-	Yes
Other subjects taught					n/a

source:

Director's Comments

The curriculum that the Peralta Community College District Children's Centers is using is Creative Curriculum.

The Creative Curriculum is designed to be a blueprint for our teachers to plan and implement a developmentally appropriate program for your children, while introducing them to topics that are interesting to them. The teachers provide support to the children throughout planned activities and activities that emerge through the children's interest and play. The teachers support the learning through conversation and some instruction.
The instruction is through doing and conversation, not drill.

The Creative Curriculum is based on different Child Development theorists and current research as to how children learn. The curriculum also takes into account the following: individual interests and uniqueness, gender, temperament, learning styles, life experiences, culture, special needs and second language learners, those are the many different aspects that every child brings into the classroom. Teachers are trained to recognize these aspects of each child and welcome them into the classroom.

The Creative Curriculum was chosen for the Peralta Community College District Children's Centers for many reasons. This is being taught by the Child Development Department at Merritt College to students who are interested in Early Childhood Education and related fields. It is a thorough curriculum that supports the children in meeting the Desired Results, which are mandated by the California Department of Education, Child Development Department.

The Creative Curriculum also encourages our teachers to individualize and make the learning experiences relevant to the children in the classroom.

The Creative Curriculum has different components that are interrelated to support each child in his/her learning and development.

Throughout Creative Curriculum, the partnership between the family and the teachers are very important to the successful foundation for the children to best prepare him/herself for future learning.