OUR PROGRAMS

CURRICULUM

The West End Child Development Center exercises the most current trends in early childhood development. To achieve this, our Infant, Toddler and Preschool Programs use Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum, which is “researched based and field proven”. It includes a comprehensive curriculum, assessments, and training resources for early childhood educators.

Our infants, toddlers, and twos curriculum include daily activities supporting the developmental level of each child. We consider each child individually as we engage their physical development, language and communication skills, intellectual development as well as their abilities to explore the world around them at their pace.

Our preschooler’s curriculum is based on guidelines we use to prepare and assess children for school readiness. We support the preschoolers in their development by building their autonomy, self-regulation, and relationship with others to promote a positive approach toward learning. Accordingly, we implement our curriculum, providing instructions to support English proficiency language for both English native speaker and English as a second language speaker. Our instructional strategies also comprise the following domains: early literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, physical development, and technology. We conduct the learning with developmentally appropriate practices using early childhood knowledge and current research.

Our Infant Program is the cornerstone of our center. Babies develop through relationships and experiences. Our Infant program is nurturing and warm and welcomes learning at an outstanding rate. We strive to stimulate healthy ,mental, physical, and emotional development through the close relationships developed between each staff and student.

We Recognize these Characteristics and Help Each Child to Achieve Age Appropriate Developmental Milestones

Social/Emotional

  • Is shy or nervous with strangers
  • Cries when mom or dad leaves
  • Has favorite things and people
  • Shows fear in some situations
  • Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story
  • Repeats sounds or actions to get attention; puts out arm or leg to help with dressing; plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”

Language/Communication

  • Responds to simple spoken requests
  • Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
  • Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)
  • Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
  • Tries to say words you say

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

  • Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
  • Finds hidden things easily
  • Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named
  • Copies gestures
  • Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair
  • Bangs two things together
  • Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
  • Lets things go without help
  • Pokes with index (pointer) finger
  • Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy”​

Movement/Physical Development

  • Gets to a sitting position without help
  • Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
  • May take a few steps without holding on
  • May stand alone

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Our talking and tumbling toddler classroom is full of movement ant communication. Our toddler program is designed to smooth the transition from “just” social to full out socialites. Teachers use our Mother Goose Curriculum to help develop social, emotional, mental, and physical growth.

We Recognize these Characteristics and Help Each Child to Achieve Age Appropriate Developmental Milestones

Social/Emotional

  • Likes to hand things to others as play
  • May have temper tantrums
  • May be afraid of strangers
  • Shows affection to familiar people
  • Plays simple pretend, such as feeding a doll
  • May cling to caregivers in new situations
  • Points to show others something interesting
  • Explores alone but with parent close by

Language/Communication

  • Says several single words
  • Says and shakes head “no”
  • Points to show someone what he wants Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
  • Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon
  • Points to get the attention of others
  • Shows interest in a doll or stuffed animal by pretending to feed
  • Points to one body part
  • Scribbles on his own
  • Can follow 1-step verbal commands without any gestures; for example, sits when you say “sit down”

Movement/Physical Development

  • Walks alone
  • May walk up steps and run
  • Pulls toys while walking
  • Can help undress herself
  • Drinks from a cup
  • Eats with a spoon

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities describes the will power and moral of our Two Year Old Program. Our staff presents some of the first real challenges and critical thinking opportunities. This program uses the Mother Goose Curriculum to introduce new learning experiences, this classroom also implements the first real encounter with structure, scheduling, and potty training!

We Recognize these Characteristics and Help Each Child to Achieve Age Appropriate Developmental Milestones

Social/Emotional

  • Copies others, especially adults and older children
  • Gets excited when with other children
  • Shows more and more independence
  • Shows defiant behavior (doing what he has been told not to)
  • Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games

Language/Communication

  • Points to things or pictures when they are named
  • Knows names of familiar people and body parts
  • Says sentences with 2 to 4 words
  • Follows simple instructions
  • Repeats words overheard in conversation
  • Points to things in a book Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
  • Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers
  • Begins to sort shapes and colors
  • Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books
  • Plays simple make-believe games
  • Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
  • Might use one hand more than the other
  • Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”
  • Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog

Movement/Physical Development

  • Stands on tiptoe
  • Kicks a ball
  • Begins to run
  • Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
  • Walks up and down stairs holding on

Our Pre School program is Texas School Ready! We are preparing our early scholars for kindergarten with the Mother Goose Curriculum, monthly professional development, in-class coaching, and child progress monitoring. We celebrate everything about becoming a kindergartener, while still providing the fundamental skills needed to succeed.

We Recognize these Characteristics and Help Each Child to Achieve Age Appropriate Developmental Milestones

Social/Emotional

  • Wants to please friends
  • Wants to be like friends
  • More likely to agree with rules
  • Likes to sing, dance, and act
  • Is aware of gender
  • Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
  • Shows more independence (for example, may visit a next-door neighbor by himself [adult supervision is still needed])
  • Is sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative

Language/Communication

  • Speaks very clearly
  • Tells a simple story using full sentences
  • Uses future tense; for example, “Grandma will be here.”
  • Says name and address

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

  • Counts 10 or more things
  • Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts
  • Can print some letters or numbers
  • Copies a triangle and other geometric shapes
  • Knows about things used every day, like money and food

Movement/Physical Development

  • Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
  • Hops; may be able to skip
  • Can do a somersault
  • Uses a fork and spoon and sometimes a table knife
  • Can use the toilet on her own
  • Swings and climbs