Focusing On The Four Developmental Domains
Ensures Children Graduate From Our Program Kindergarten Ready!
Focusing On The Four Developmental Domains
Ensures Children Graduate From Our Program Kindergarten Ready!
Research-Based And Hands-On Activities Support Learning
OUR STAR CURRICULUM
Our STAR curriculum has been developed specifically for our Schools. It was designed and developed with researched-based curriculum to ensure the children are receiving quality educational experiences and teaching.
Working in close partnership with nationally recognized organizations such as NAEYC, NECPA and Zero to Three, this unique curriculum mirrors our commitment to early childhood education and is designed to address all aspects of your child’s development. It provides a road map for teachers to use while creating lesson plans that are a perfect combination of child-directed and teacher-guided activities. These hands-on activities are integrated into centers, circle time, and play.
Our STAR Curriculum’s researched-based guidelines and themes provide the strongest of foundations for future academic success, while never taking away from our teacher’s ability to meet individual children’s needs. We recognize the talent and knowledge that each of our teachers bring to the classroom, and we have chosen a curriculum that does not replace that uniqueness but instead amplifies creativity.
Positively Supporting Children With A Fresh Approach
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
How children approach learning is one of the key dimensions of school readiness according to the National Education Goals Panel (1997). Approaches towards learning used in Frogstreet© and in our STAR Curriculum include curiosity, persistence, attention and communication. These “approaches” reside in and across all other domains. Teachers are encouraged to observe and support each child in positive approaches to each activity within the week’s instruction.
Quality Literature develops solid communication skills
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Communication and Literacy
Young children love to play with language and the experiences that we provide for them helps to foster this love. Our STAR Curriculum guides teachers in providing activities and learning experiences that allow children to play with sounds and words which help them to develop a meaningful understanding of how words are used and shared. Your child will be given opportunities to explore the letter sound relationship in meaningful settings. Each morning, during Greeting Circle, children are given the opportunity to develop the ability to rhyme, work with compound words, learn letters, and break sentences into individual words. Every room environment celebrates communication through labeling, environmental print, the display of children’s writings and an abundance of opportunities to talk and share thoughts.
During a child’s time in preschool, their brains are primed for learning languages. It is much easier for a child to be immersed in learning multiple languages during this time in their life than any other time. With that in mind, we also spend time each day teaching children basic sign language and Spanish. Learning Sign Language before they can talk, gives children a way to communicate their needs without becoming frustrated. To encourage acceptance of different cultures, our Frogstreet© curriculum provides all materials in English and Spanish as a way to allow children from different backgrounds to find common ground.
Quality literature plays an integral part of our program and our goal is to motivate our little ones from a very early age to value a love for reading. During each class’ Read-aloud time, students are exposed to several forms of stories and rhymes. Before, during and after stories, teachers keep their students engaged with questions that connect the literature to other books, their classroom and personal experiences. All our themes incorporate picture books, audio books, story folders, listening stories, and poems into their daily language activities.
Focus On Role And Responsibilities Promotes Growth
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Social and Environmental Studies
The STAR Curriculum focuses heavily on the Social-Emotional Development of each child. Starting with each class’ School Family, children will learn how to be a part of different social communities. As their learning experiences expand from their personal world to the larger world, children will begin to develop an understanding of their role and responsibilities within their family and community, allowing them to become responsible citizens who respect differences and understand the relationships between their actions and their environment.
Within their own classroom, teachers will use the School Family as a way to increase connections between all members of the class. The School Family is used, through Conscious Discipline, to establish acceptable, social routines, rituals and structures.
counting Practice Builds Strong Minds And Enhances Brain Function
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Math, Manipulative, Sensory, Science and Technology
Our STAR Curriculum gives children opportunities to develop their cognitive development skills through hands-on activities that allow them to feel safe in taking risks and asking the question “What if….” Our STAR Curriculum embraces the language and concepts of math and science and helps children to discover the inter-relatedness of objects and processes.
Math is so much more than counting. It is also the ability to reason, see relationships, and problem solve. The learning experiences that our teachers create provide children with a foundational understanding of the concepts of attributes, classification, patterns, one-to-one correspondence, order and, finally, numeration. Through trial and error, students will use concrete objects to develop a true sense of how math is found in their daily lives.
Young children are naturally curious; their favorite questions is “Why?” Our teachers help to nurture this curiosity by providing learning experiences for children to observe, record what they observe, make predictions and ask more questions. Children are encouraged to use their senses as the base for the explorations the make in their classroom and in the environment outside. Learning opportunities based on essential skills in our STAR Curriculum will help your child to create an understanding of how the world works.
Early explorations with technology focus on learning how to manipulate, and do not replace hands-on learning with teacher and peers in our classrooms. Our curriculum uses technology to support what children are discovering about the world and how we communicate. The essential skills for technology are based on standards developed by The International Society for Technology in Education and allow children to build a foundation for becoming technology-capable students in the future.
Small Muscle Building Allows Writing In The Future
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Health, Large and Small Motor Development
Children naturally use their bodies to explore their environment, whether it is the infant who gains an understanding of objects through mouthing them, or the three-year-old who develops his/her understanding of boundaries by lying down during circle time. Our STAR curriculum recognizes and respects this need for explorations and provides multiple opportunities for development. To promote gross motor skills, children are provided with an environment where they can develop muscle control, balance, and coordination. Each of our age-appropriate playgrounds provide the opportunity to use large motor skills through climbing, running, and biking. To encourage the development of fine motor skills, students are given daily opportunities to pinch, squeeze, grasp, tear or roll that focus on building the small muscles to allow them to write in the future.
daily activities Bring Out Your Child's Inner creative
FREE CHOICE PLAY AND CREATIVITY
Art, Music and Dramatic Play/Free Play
Throughout our school day, the children are given the opportunity to make free play choices. During these times, children are involved with their peers in small groups, which encourages cooperation, sharing, and problem solving. When conflict occurs, children are encouraged to use words to express their feelings and to reach a resolution with the help of a teacher if needed. The free play opportunities throughout each classroom and the building include dramatic play, block building, art, games, language arts, science and math centers. Cooperative play is an essential skill in their social-emotional development and is encouraged in all centers, including their daily time on the playground.
Creativity is an essential part of our daily activities in the classroom, specialty areas and even on the playground. Creativity encompasses more than art and music. It is the ability to adapt and be flexible in thought, to problem solve, and to communicate through symbols, whether those symbols are visual or auditory. During art time, our teachers focus on the process rather than the product and plan for purposeful experiences with dramatic play. Dramatic play permits children to fit the reality of the world into their own interests and knowledge. Children are encouraged to engage in dramatic play activities in the dress up, block play and even outside on the playground. These creative opportunities help children to better understand the world and provide them with the much-needed outlet for their emotions. In addition, these experiences help children to develop a sense of individuality and respect for other’s work.
FREE PLAY
Here are six benefits of free play for children:
- Builds creativity and ability to come up with unique ideas.
- Develops motor planning skills, helping the child to create and carry out ideas, motor actions, and activities.
- Fosters decision-making skills. Unstructured play provides many opportunities to make choices while playing alone or while playing in a group.
- Fosters independence. Helps children learn to think independently and teaches them how to entertain themselves.
- Develops social skills and collaborative play skills. Free play allows children to develop conflict resolution skills and learn to take turns. It also helps children develop their skills as leaders and as followers.
- Provides opportunities for children to discover their interests and skills!
Time With Nature Encourages Environmental Awareness
GROWING UP GREEN
Growing Up Green
Along with Frogstreet©, our STAR curriculum is enhanced with our Monthly Growing Up Green Concept. This addition to our curriculum mirrors our commitment to our environment by integrating activities and discussions that encourage environmental awareness into our days. In addition, these activities are woven into all aspects of your child’s development. These hands-on activities are integrated into centers, circle, time, and play.
Our STAR Curriculum’s researched-based guidelines and Frog Street’s themes provide the strongest of foundations for future academic success, while never taking away from our teacher’s ability to meet individual children’s needs. We recognize the talent and knowledge that each of our teachers brings to the classroom and we have chosen a curriculum that does not replace that uniqueness but instead amplifies it.
Focus On Essential Brain Growth In the First 3 Years of Life
Parents and caregivers are the driving force in developing emotional connections, intellect, language skills, and other basic abilities in a young child’s life. Nurturing, responsive relationships along with security and continuity of care are all key factors in brain growth. Your child’s future cognitive, behavioral, and social/emotional health begin with quality care allowing your baby’s brain to develop to its full potential.
what our parents are saying...
"The school is so organized with their lesson plans and theme days"
All three of my girls have been at Bright Star Academy. The teachers are top notch! The facility is bright and fun. I love that they get to spend time in the library, theatre room, art room and cafeteria instead of staying in one classroom the whole day. The administration, cooks and maintenance staff all know the kids names and interact with them during drop off/pick-up. The school is so organized with their lesson plans and theme days. They offer great in-house and off-site field trips.
My kids have been treated like family since day one. They love going to Bright Star.
Kim M.
"I love the reports and pictures I receive from the teachers throughout the week"
My two children have been enrolled at Bright Star for 7 months and love it. This is my 4.5 year old's third school (because we have moved) and this is the first place he has actually been excited about going to school. He has made a great little group of friends and talks about all the fun they have during the day. And my 2.5 year old tells me that that her teacher is her best friend. We appreciate how clean the school is kept, and for us, that is a huge plus. It is so difficult to keep germs under control with kids, so we are happy the school makes an extra effort to keep the facility clean. We also really love the fact that Bright Star has a chef on site that cooks all the meals. The kids get excited at drop-off to check what's on the menu for lunch that day. It has exposed them to different foods and I noticed shortly after they started that they were more willing to try new foods at home! I love the reports and pictures I receive from the teachers throughout the week, and truly feel my children are in good, loving hands.
Brooke R.
"They accommodate for what we need and want for our childTwo weeks in at Bright Star Academy and my 3 year old was caught up on counting"
My two daughters have attended Bright Star Academy for the last 4 years and it has been the best decision I have ever made in regards to their future. The teachers, administrative staff, chef, and everyone that works there feels like family. I moved my girls over from another school where I became concerned that they were not getting what was promised at the beginning when we enrolled, and noticed they were actually taking steps back in their education. Two weeks in at Bright Star Academy and my 3 year old was caught up on counting, letter recognition, and came home HAPPY at the end of the day. My oldest daughter would come home excited to tell me about the science experiments they did, books they read, games they played outside, and just anxious to tell me about her entire day at BSA! They serve organic food in a family eating style in the cafeteria, which we really like. The children are responsible for clearing their own plates and serving themselves and teachers are invited to join them for lunch. I know "organic" seems so trendy but when you're coming from a school where they only give your children goldfish and what they call "meatloaf", this is a huge bonus. The tuition is average, which shocked me considering everything that you're getting here! We expected it to be much more expensive! They have live animals for the kids to learn about in the art/science room where they are responsible for taking care of the "friends" and feeding them, an indoor play area for rainy days (including a beautiful sand pit and things to jump and climb on), a gorgeous theater room for creative play, library/computer lab, an on site nurse and during the summer a splash pad area for the kids to enjoy outside. I have honestly never seen a teacher with a sour look on their face, they always seem to be having fun and enjoying their job. Every time we enter the school, we are greeted with a smile and the girls are welcomed with open arms (literally, the teacher greets them with a hug!). If you are looking for a quality, professional, friendly school for your little one to attend, please go take a look at Bright Star Academy. I have no doubt you will feel the same way I do by the end of your tour.
Kirstin M.
Our Accreditations and Certifications
