Our Pre-K Program: Preparing for Kindergarten Success

At Small Discoveries Preschool, our Pre-K program (for children aged 4 years and up) is specifically designed to provide a comprehensive and engaging learning experience, preparing your child for kindergarten success. Located in Jersey City, our prekindergarten curriculum challenges children while nurturing their natural love of learning.

We understand that you’re looking for strong prekindergarten programs that set the stage for academic and social growth. Our pre-kindergarten curriculum focuses on teaching foundational literacy and math skills, including letter-sound relationships, sight word recognition, and basic mathematical functions. Beyond academics, our unique character education program nurtures vital social and emotional skills such as listening, understanding feelings, and conflict resolution, ensuring a well-rounded transition to elementary school.

Our Comprehensive Pre-K Curriculum

Our well-rounded program encourages continued skill development in the arts, creative expression, physical fitness, and Spanish. Here’s what your child will experience in our pre k classrooms:

• • Language & Literacy: Children learn essential letter-sound relationships and sight words, building a strong foundation for reading. They also develop critical thinking skills, making predictions about stories and concepts.
  • Social-Emotional: Through our character education program, children learn to express feelings verbally and act appropriately in social settings. They develop crucial skills for sharing, cooperation, and conflict resolution, fostering confidence and empathy.
  • Creative Expression: Children explore a wide variety of tools, materials, and instruments. They learn to identify pitch and tempo in music, create 3D shapes from clay, and act out familiar stories in sequence, enhancing their imagination and self-expression.
  • Citizens of the World (Spanish & Culture): Children engage with global traditions, identify Spanish-speaking countries on the globe, and learn practical Spanish vocabulary for food, seasons, and the five senses, broadening their cultural awareness.
  • Mathematics: Our teachers introduce foundational addition and subtraction, patterns, graphs, and problem-solving. Children learn to explore number concepts, encouraging early logical reasoning.
  • Wellness & Physical Fitness: Children practice jumping rope, using hula hoops, and accurately throwing a ball to a target, continually building on their fine and gross motor skills. Physical fitness and Yoga are integrated into the daily routine.
  • Science & Social Studies: Children perform simple experiments, learn about the weather, and compare personal and family traditions. They explore different species of animals and study various cultural traditions, fostering curiosity about the world.
  • Digital Interactions: Children are introduced to basic technology concepts. They learn to type their first and last names on the keyboard and explore changes in technology over time, preparing them for future digital literacy.

A Day in Our Pre-K Classroom

Our daily schedule provides a consistent yet dynamic routine for our 4-year-olds and up, balancing structured learning with ample opportunities for play and exploration. This schedule is subject to change based on the ages, interests, and needs of the children.

TIME	ACTIVITY
7:00-8:00 AM ET	Gathering & Table Top Activity
8:30-9:00 AM ET	Breakfast & Table Top Activity (bathroom and handwashing break before and after)
9:00-9:15 AM ET	Greeting Circle Time: review of calendar, weather, letters, numbers, reading books, singing songs, etc.
9:15-9:45 AM ET	Fine Motor Skills Practice Activity: writing, coloring, using scissors, etc.
9:45-11:30 AM ET	Alternate classrooms Outdoor Play and/or Indoor Open Play: Child-initiated play as well as various organized activities (bathroom and handwashing break before and after)
11:30-12:00 PM ET	Class Activity: Depending on the day of the week (Yoga, Music, Big group Activity)
12:00-12:40 AM ET	Lunch (bathroom and handwashing break before and after)
12:40-2:30 PM ET	Set up for nap & story time
1:30-2:30 PM ET	Nap Time
2:30-3:30 PM ET	Afternoon snack & closing circle time: discuss daily events
3:30-4:00 PM ET	Outdoor Play and/or Indoor Open Play: Child-initiated play as well as various organized activities (bathroom and handwashing break before and after)
4:00-6:00 PM ET	Extended Care program begins

During “Open Play”, children select one of the learning areas to play in—there’s Science, Art, Writing, Library, Blocks & Manipulatives, Dramatic Play, & Table Top activities that include puzzles, playdough, and other quiet activities. Each area is enriched with age-appropriate rotating and all-year materials that allow children to explore, create, and imagine! This allows children to make their own choices as well as give them ample opportunities to make new discoveries, challenge themselves, and encourages self-expression through different avenues.