Ready Set Preschool, of New Hyde Park, Long Island, understands the fundamentals of how children learn. We create custom preschool classes full of energy, excitement and most important education. We have years of experience teaching children the preschool basics and we know what works.
Through recent years, legislators in Washington have created new laws and programs in an attempt to “bridge the gap” of learning that exists across state lines and income brackets. Such legislation includes No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core. All of these have two things in common: they rely on testing results as a measure of student and teacher capabilities and they have encouraged didactic approaches to education in order to “teach to the test.” Whether or not these standards can be effective is not the issue (as only time will tell), but how they are being put into action, i.e. through the “sit. copy. repeat. memorize.” concept of teaching is an issue. This is because this method of teaching is known to be not effective in the long run.
What We Know Works
A child learns so much more from a song about the relationship of sounds like “sh” and “th” rather than just copying the letters down. They retain the information better the first time and are better able to comprehend the relationships and concepts when taught in an engaging manner.
We know that children learn how to read better when reading their classmates’ names on a board rather than reading random sentences on a blackboard. Why? Because it’s interesting to them, and what is interesting is yearned for, strived for, and accomplished. Here at Ready Set Grow Preschool we understand what makes a preschool child excited, what makes them want to experience something new and attempt something challenging.
Research within the field of early education is constantly expanding and we always have our eyes and ears open to improve our programs. Our highly trained staff of teachers is not only knowledgeable about the ideas in early education, but they are passionate about them.
We have created our classrooms to reflect fun, playful environments in which your children can feel safe, secure, familiar, and yet excited. Our toys are strategically placed, many specifically at a level your children can reach and interact with independently. The different areas of play and learning are laid out throughout our rooms with specific intentions to encourage different modes of experimentation. Self-help skills, socialization, independent choices, small and large motor development, discovery, and creative thinking are just some of the areas we focus on when we arrange our classrooms.
Ready Set Grow Teaches Scientific Discovery
The natural curiosity of children is fostered here at Ready Set Grow through a variety of preschool activities that encourage scientific discovery. Through activities that rely on hands-on-interactions with peers, toys, and arts and crafts, children learn new skills through kinetic forms of learning. We encourage our students to explore, ask questions, and articulate their observations with one another as well as with our teachers. This promotes listening skills, speech development, critical thinking, and socialization.
Preschool Creates Positive Learning Associations
Preschoolers are avid learners who truly want to explore and understand the world around them. Often in our busy days as parents, working and taking care of the home, it is not possible to engage their minds at every moment. Learning can become dampened and discouraged when a child’s creative thoughts or questions go unanswered and independent play or tv time is predominate during the day as opposed to interacting with adults and their peers.
Preschool offers children the opportunity to be free to engage in the world and to encourage learning. It prepares them for the rigidity of Kindergarten and grade school through learning to work together and be respectful in a group and to listen and respect the authority of their teachers. Above all preschool prepares children emotionally and mentally for grade school, creating children who want to learn.
