Curriculum
At Tiny Leaders we implement Highscope Curriculum practices. Highscope is Play-based, child-centered, and grounded in research, the HighScope Curriculum features active learning at its core. In a HighScope classroom, children are guided to explore, interact, and exercise their creative imagination through purposeful play. In a HighScope program, teachers intentionally arrange the classroom and daily routines to develop children's sense of competence, support social interactions, and build a secure community. Our six steps for conflict resolution allow teachers to build children's language skills as they work through a conflict. The six steps as follows:
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Approach Calmly: If you notice any hurtful actions, step in calmly. Place yourself between the children, get down to their level, and use a calm voice and gentle touch. Remain neutral instead of taking sides.
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Acknowledge Feelings: Let the children know that you recognize their emotions. For example, you might say, “You look really upset.”
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Gather Information: Ask, “What’s the problem?” to understand the situation better.
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Restate the Problem: Clarify the issue by saying, “So the problem is…”
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Brainstorm Solutions: Encourage the children to think of solutions. Ask, “What can we do to solve this problem?” and choose one together.
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Provide Follow-Up Support: After they’ve resolved the conflict, offer positive reinforcement. You could say, “You solved the problem!” and stay nearby!
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The High Scope Curriculum was designed from the belief that children learn best when they actively participate in the learning process through direct experience with people, objects, events, and ideas as they discover the world around them, including moments that they are upset. Our staff will build their lesson plans based on the interests of the children at that moment. This allows our team to truly have the buy in of their students and create a community within their classroom that capitalizes on their learning experience. Rather than educators waiting to expand on children’s interests and thoughts they will alter their lesson plans to fit what the children are interested in/asking about in live time. Educators will have the freedom to alter their days and think quick on their feet to extend the learning in the moment.
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!
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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.
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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.