Your Child's First Day at Big Dreams Learning Center:

 

Because transitions and separations can be difficult, you should plan to bring your child to school at least one day before his/her first official day, so that you can stay with your child. Plan to be here for at least one hour. This provides a chance for your child to visit the class, meet the teachers, and become more familiar with the classroom environment while you are present. Our goal is for your child to visit for as long as he/she is comfortable, and to leave happy, content, and having had a positive experience! During this first visit, help your child by playing with toys, interacting with the teachers and maintaining a positive attitude. When your child sees that you seem comfortable in the classroom and trust the teachers, he/she will transition into the school environment more effectively than if you express feelings of anxiety or uncertainty. Please keep in mind that some children need more time to adjust to a new environment. The teachers will talk with you individually to develop a plan to meet the specific needs of your child. In addition, please know that you are welcome and encouraged to stay in the building as long as you need to feel comfortable with your child’s experience. Feel free to call the school anytime to check on your child.

 

Infant and Toddlers: 

 

In the first years of life, the child is acquiring a sense of trust of oneself and of others; a sense of safety and security that comes from responsive, predictable care from others to whom one is attached.

 

The child is developing a sense of autonomy, a sense of being a separate, independent self. This comes from being treated as an individual and being allowed increasing opportunities for independence.

 

The child at this age is a sensory-motor being, exploring the world with their senses while developing motor skills. They need a world rich with opportunities to actively explore and enjoy; to see, hear, feel, touch and move; a world where they are encouraged to venture and discover.

 

We are now enrolling infants! Infant Child Care can be very beneficial for moms going back to school or work. We offer full and part time care for our infants. Registration is limited and in high demand, so please register early.

 

Big Dreams Learning Center creates a stimulating learning environment for infants, including sensory toys, supervised tummy time (age appropriate), and other infant activities to help develop your infant's milestone activities. Our caregivers give babies individual attention, openly demonstrating affection through holding, cuddling, and holding or rocking during feedings.

 

Our infant care environment is safe, clean, and segregated from the other age groups we have at Big Dreams Learning Center. Our infant classroom has plenty of space for your child to crawl, roll, and explore his world. Diapering areas are set up away from play and food areas. Our infant toys include an assortment of developmental learning materials for the ever-evolving infant.

 

For our infant childcare, we maintain an "on-demand" schedule for eating, playing, and napping. We understand that your infant is different than any other infant, and we take cues from your baby for feeding, and sleeping, according to parent instructions

 

In order to be placed in the Toddler classroom, the child should be at least 15 months and have certain readiness skills established: the child should be walking steadily; must be able to nap once per day; must be able to drink from a cup or Sippy cup. It is important that the child not only be able to drink from a cup, but is no longer drinking from a bottle at all. It is emotionally confusing to drink from a cup at school and from a bottle at home. When a child is in a new environment such as school, and his/her bottle is not available, it can potentially be very distressing. Thus, we must adhere strictly to this policy, for the child’s happiness and well-being

 

Preschool 24-36 Months: Activity Filled Learning Curriculum: 

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Over the years, it has been proven that children thrive in a holistic learning environment, where they are challenged and nurtured to develop intellectually, physically, emotionally and artistically. When children feel free to explore, discover, create, interact and play, they learn at wondrous speed.

 

Our curriculum is based on the hierarchical stages of early childhood development, taking into account that each child is an individual, and will learn at his/her own pace. In planning our curriculum, we take into consideration the variety of skills developing at this age, and various developmental levels of the children.

 

·        Freedom to independently explore, create and express ideas within a developmentally structured                              environment

·        An environment in which each child feels successful and is an active participant in the learning process

·        A focus on the development of appropriate social behaviors, forming a foundation for future interpersonal            relationships.

 

The daily routine allows for a balance of activities, so that the child is involved in large group experiences, small group experiences, as well as opportunities for individual activity. There should be a balance of active and passive activity, of indoor and outdoor activity.

 

We strive to teach concepts and to plan activities that are meaningful to the child. Careful planning and observation on the teacher’s part enables the child to develop at his/her own pace and to his/her full potential. The teacher is continually assessing each child in order to determine the level of understanding and to know in what areas the child needs strengthening or reinforcement.

 

The daily routine provides a variety of experiences that promote growth in each skill area:  physical, social, emotional and cognitive, each of these skills so vital to the development of the whole child:

 

 

Pre-K Program: Texas School Ready Curriculum:

 

Our Pre-K program is designed by the Fun Shine Learning Curriculum. It is one of the best program that develops the skills that your child needs in preparation for a more structured classroom environment. This is the year for “readiness”

 

Readiness is the decisive factor in placing a child in the classroom. In order to have a successful experience, a child should be ready in all skill areas: SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, And COGNITIVE. Readiness skills include, but are not limited to:

 

Social and emotional maturity Fine motor skills Gross motor and coordination skills Desire and interest to learn new concepts. The ability to listen to and follow directions Completing a task within a given time period Desire to participate, to ask questions

 

It is not only what the child has learned before entering Kindergarten, but how the child learns that is the key to a successful Kindergarten experience. It is not only letter recognition, sounds, and basic math concepts that the Kindergarten teacher looks for in entering students. It is the skills and behaviors that enable the student to learn these concepts, and to learn them without frustration.

 

Learning seems to come naturally and with ease when a child is interested, self-motivated and eager to learn. Our hope is that our program brings out the natural curiosity and love of learning that we know is part of each child. The child going to Kindergarten should be ready in all skill areas to handle successfully the demands of the program.​

 

Early Education utilizing interactive Technology:

 

We work with the interactive technology that today’s children need to experience. We’re believers in the appropriate use of technology – utilizing creative computer applications and other innovations to help your child grow – in keeping with the technologies he will need to understand for future success.  Our technology-based learning activities are developed with your child in mind and extend beyond the boundaries of traditional daycare.

 

Combining the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer Programs, our highly trained teachers engage students with hands-on interaction. This educational system utilizes an easy to use, interactive technology that provides children the ability to interact with large, colorful, moveable images and diagrams. Moving letters, words, numbers and pictures with a finger, and with the addition of sound, makes the lessons engaging for auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners.

 

The Texas School Ready program is utilizing this technology and implementing our exclusive curriculum into activities that are tied to national Preschool standards and the critical skill areas of pre literacy, language, math, social studies and science.

 

Teachers implement the weekly curriculum and select the appropriate developmental level for a group of children or an individual child. Daily lesson plans and activities are implemented for large or small groups as well as independently by children during center time. The individual Computer Learning Centers also utilize the latest multi-touch screen technology and educational software for 

development in a safe, child-directed learning environment.

 

One of the most powerful and exciting features is the ability to easily create digital student portfolios. Each child’s individual work and progress is captured in a dynamic portfolio allowing the teacher to easily add notes and share with the child and with parents at any time throughout the year.

 

Big Dreams learning Center is dedicated to continually add technology throughout our schools.