Curriculum
At Tiny Leaders, we proudly implement the HighScope Curriculum, a play-based, child-centered approach grounded in research and focused on active learning. HighScope encourages children to explore, create, problem-solve, and build confidence through meaningful experiences with people, materials, and their environment.
In our classrooms, teachers intentionally design the learning environment and daily routines to support children's independence, social development, and sense of belonging. Through purposeful play and hands-on experiences, children are encouraged to follow their curiosity, build relationships, and develop skills that support lifelong learning.
The HighScope approach is built on the belief that children learn best when they are active participants in their own learning. Our educators take the time to understand each child's interests, questions, and ideas, using them to guide lesson planning and create meaningful experiences in the moment. This flexibility allows teachers to adapt activities, extend learning opportunities, and create a classroom community where every child feels valued, supported, and excited to learn.
By following the interests of the children, our teachers create an environment where learning feels natural, engaging, and meaningful. Children are given the opportunity to explore the world around them while developing confidence, independence, communication skills, and a love for learning.
Imaginative & Creative Play
We encourage our young learners to use their creativity and imaginations as often as possible. We incorporate these techniques within many of our lessons and daily activities. Each week there is a school theme ranging from Farm Animals to Outer Space to Dinosaurs. The classrooms will then base their lesson plans off of that theme. The children will learn through art, dramatic play, music, books, experiments and much more!
Mother's Room
Tiny Leader's takes pride in ensuring the children of the center and their families come first. To allow families to feel as comfortable as possible and implement their family routine at the center we offer a Mother's Room. This private space is where any nursing mother can express breast milk for her baby, or take their child to feed. We encourage all bonding with your child and have an open door policy.
Movement
TLC offers a adaptive Physical Education class a minimum of one time per week for our Toddler, Preschool, and Pre-K classrooms. We have partnered with Special Olympics: Young Athletes to bring this to our centers. The children will learn balance, throwing, catching, kicking, juggling, and more!
Our Plattsburgh facility offers a Soft Playspace. This space includes padded equipment for the kids to climb and play on when they are feeling stressed or need a break from the classroom. The soft play space is also used on days the weather doesn't permit outside play.
Our Malone facility has an indoor gym space allowing the children to have gross motor play year-round regardless of the weather.
Programs
Meals
Our facilities are equipped with full kitchens. We provide Breakfast, Lunch and an Afternoon Snack included with Tuition. Your child will receive nutritious meals throughout the day. Our menus follow NYS guidelines regarding menus, serving sizes and specific foods offered.
Secure Facility
We have secure facilities that require a key fob to enter the building. There is also a buzzer to ensure you will be able to enter when an office member unlocks the door. We also have a camera system that saves all feed to a hard drive. This ensures the ability to go back to any day to review footage. All cameras follow the NYS OCFS guidelines.
Outside Play
Plattsburgh--Our playground is split between all classrooms giving them an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to have outside free play each day. The kiddos will also participate in class walks.
Malone--We have two playgrounds on either side of the building. One for Preschool and Pre-K and the other for Infants and Toddlers.
Eat Well Play Hard
Eat Well Play Hard is an education program that focuses on the nutrition and physical activity behaviors of pre-school age children and their parents/caregivers by using educational strategies and skill building activities to promote healthy behavior change. Our Pre-School and Pre-K classrooms partake in this program during the year for a 12 week period. During the 12 weeks the classrooms alternate between a lesson lead by a instructor of EWPH and a teacher led lesson. EWPH also invites parents to join them in the afternoons for parent led lessons--virtually from the comfort of their own home.