Special events created to articulate and support our play-based,
emergent curriculum continue: Science Sunday, Curriculum
Night, and Love of Reading Month. Science Sunday set the
stage for early childhood science-based experiences with our
own faculty and local professionals. Curriculum week returned
giving an opportunity for families to visit their children’s class
and participate in the curriculum for five full days. Love of
Reading could not be done in one week, so we make it a month
of wonderful reading events and guest readers.
Manic Monday happens the first Monday of each month, and
it is a time for the parents and caregivers to have a quick bite to
eat before beginning their busy week. ECE directors are present
for conversation and support. This is a great time to have
informal conversations and for other department leadership to
mingle with the families. We have also had guest appearances
from nearby elementary schools including Tucson Hebrew
Academy and Davidson Elementary.
The discoverCATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child
Health) program, a JCCA initiative to fight childhood obesity
and promote healthy eating and movement, is a strong part
of everyday learning. Our program has kept children and
faculty moving and eating in fun and healthy ways. In 2018 we
sent two ECE faculty to San Diego for continued training in
discoverCATCH. Enrichment classes for members and guests
support our philosophy of wellness. These classes include
children creating their own healthy lunches in Lunch Bunch
twice a week, the Gardening Crew partnered with Children &
Youth, and multiple fitness related classes. Our teachers have
taken the opportunity to involve families with creating healthy
lunches.
The Lunch Box Committee is a volunteer group of teachers
that meet, plan, research, and provide information for the
families and staff of easy and healthy lunch options. This year
they have increased their awareness to include healthy fitness
support and recipes everyone can use at home.
Our School Twinning program with Israel has continued and
grown with many international friendships. Our preschool
children communicate with their friends in Israel with videos
and mail. Gifts are shared between our schools and knowledge
of being under the same moon is shared. We have had the great
pleasure and honor to continue to send educators to Israel to
meet our twinning schools. In 2018 we sent one of our pre-k
teachers and in 2019 we will send one of our ECE directors.
In 2018 we continued with our Spanish Immersion Pre-K
class. Native Spanish speaking teachers using emergent and
process-based curriculum have successfully produced our
second class of Spanish Immersion children! The first year was
so successful that we added a Spanish Immersion three-year
old class in the fall. Both classes are well-received and always
at full enrollment.