NKCA PROGRAMS

Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move. In the first year, babies learn to focus their vision, reach out, explore, and learn about the things that are around them. Cognitive, or brain development means the learning process of memory, language, thinking and reasoning. Language is more than making sounds or saying mama and da-da. Listening, understanding, and knowing the makes of people and things are all a part of language development. During this stage, babies also are developing bonds of love and trust with their parents and others as part of social and emotional development. The way a parent or caregiver cuddles, holds, and plays with a baby will set the basis for how they will interact with them and others. The focus of this class will surround reading, singing, talking to, praises, cuddling, and playing with a child when they are alert and relaxed. This will help to build into a child’s learning development.

During the second year, toddlers are moving around more, and are aware of themselves and surroundings. Their desire to explore new objects, and people also is increasing. During this stage, toddlers will show greater independence, begin to show defiant behavior, recognize themselves in pictures or a mirror, and imitate the behavior of others, especially adults and other children. Toddlers also should be able to recognize the names of familiar people and objects, form simple phrases and sentences, and follow simple instructions and directions. The focus of our Toddler 1 Class will surround reading, singing, nursery rhymes, naming objects, sorting shapes, matching games, simple puzzles, exploring, and begin feeding themselves. ABC Jesus Loves Me Program is used in this classroom.

Preschool 2.3 Classroom may not only grow by leaps and bounds, but also learn to leap and bound! Expect to see big things happening with big muscles (gross motor), as well as development in small muscle movement (fine motor skills). 2’s are learning to engage more in pretend play and are beginning to play with a friend. The closer they get to 3, their understanding of vocabulary develops to where they can understand what you are saying to them. By the end of their 3rd year, they will master walking, running, and jumping with both feet. They will throw and kick a ball, stand on tiptoes and balance on one foot and climb on anything they can. Fine motor skills we look for are dressing themselves, washing own hands, build a tower of blocks, zipping backpacks, and holding crayons with fingers instead of with a whole fist. Classroom learning will concentrate on story times, puzzles, following simple directions and sorting by type, size, or color. The 2-year-old class is where we begin potty training once everyone is ready. ABC Jesus Loves Me Program is used in this class.

Preschool 3.4 Classroom will experience huge thinking, learning, social, and emotional changes that will help them to explore their new world and make sense of it. The focus of our 3-year-old class is reading, singing, pretending play, follow the leader, exploring, learning name & age, taking turns, encouraging positive behavior, coloring, sorting colors, shapes, and objects, learning our different emotions. The Abeka Book Program is used in this class.

Preschooler 4.5 Classroom: This is our Pre-K readiness classroom. Our focus in this classroom is preparing your child for kindergarten and strengthening their relationship with God. However, we focus our learning through play and interaction with our friends & adult teachers. This is where the hands and feet of Christ begins, “to go out into the world” and share the love of Christ with love, grace, and mercy for others. Learning should be fun! Our class will learn the days of the week, months, year, seasons, follow 3-part commands, remembering parts of a story, understanding time better (morning, afternoon, evening), puzzles, games, pretend play, writing, math, reading, singing, site words, and so much more! The Abeka Book Program is fully used in these classrooms.