The preschool curriculum represents a shared set of expectations for preschool children, expectations developed by drawing upon current research about how young children learn. Our learning environment is designed to provide students with a challenging, yet developmentally appropriate curriculum. The center has chosen to integrate the State Early Childhood Standards into the state-approved Project Construct curriculum frameworks. In addition, district kindergarten readiness benchmarks are also used to guide instruction.

The State Early Childhood Standards address: Math, Science, Literacy, Social/Emotional, Physical Development, and Health & Safety.

Project Construct is a process-oriented curriculum and assessment framework for children ages 3-7. Project Construct is based on constructivist theory, which means children construct their knowledge and values by interacting with their environment. Through this active learning process, children will construct their own knowledge; learn how to make decisions and plans; seek and organize information. The role of the teacher is to guide students in their construction of knowledge—challenging them to make predictions, try new approaches, and solve their own problems.

There are four Guiding Principles:

1. Children have an intrinsic desire to learn.
2. Children learn by doing.
3. Mistakes are O.K.
4. The domains (social moral, cognitive, representational and physical development) are interactive and interrelated.

Project Construct believes the process children go through is more important than the product that is produced. This allows children to develop thinking and problem solving skills that can be used throughout their lives.