Research shows that young children learn by doing, touching, experimenting, choosing, talking, and negotiating.  Everything is a potential curriculum for young children. 

Our program is based on a developmental philosophy that focuses on fundamental principles of the growth of children. The emotional, spiritual, physical, and intellectual stages of children occur in a predictable, orderly pattern. However, the time sequence of these stages is unique to each child. Also, each child has their own style of learning.

Our Christ-centered, emergent curriculum provides “hands-on” activities that develop early learning skills and encourage children to become critical thinkers, researchers, and life-long learners. Invaluable learning also occurs through social experiences that encourage problem-solving, creative thinking, cooperation, and Godly character development.

Emergent curriculum arises naturally from adult-child and child-child interactions that create “teachable moments”.  It connects learning with experience and prior learning.  It responds to children’s immediate interests rather than focusing on a narrow, individual, or calendar driven topic.

During Bible times, these Bibles are read in the classrooms: Candle Bible for Toddlers by Juliet David is the Bible Storybook we read in our Infant Toddler, Purple, and Green Rooms.

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young is the Bible Storybook we read in our Blue, Yellow, Orange, Red, KBK, and Discovery Room classrooms.

In our Prekindergarten classrooms, we introduce a “Get Set for School” curriculum program that helps young learners gain the skills and experiences they need for lifelong learning success.  This hands-on program focuses on the three core learning areas – Readiness & Writing, Language & Literacy, and Numbers & Math. 

Upon leaving Good Shepherd Preschool, our goal is that each child is better able to make appropriate choices, sound decisions and have developed emotional security, independence, and a sense of worth through God’s love.