Preschool Curriculum

Today you have many options when it comes to the curriculum used in your Daycare Home. While some childcare providers seem happy to fly by the seat of their pants, the rest of you feel more comfortable when you have a plan.

Today you can purchase ready-made curriculum where not only is your weekly plan already done for you,  supplies for some activities for each child in your care are included in the fee. Doing a Google search will lead you to such programs a KidSparkz, Funsteps, Inc., Mother Goose Time and many more. These can save you a lot of time in both planning and stocking your supplies so if the budget allows, it may be well worth it to sample a few different programs and see which is the best ‘fit’ for you.

Planning a Toddler and/or Preschool Curriculum isn’t really a tough thing to do and taking the time to do so can keep both you and the children eagerly anticipating the discoveries of each day.

I found designing and planning a curriculum around various THEMES was the best way to go. A weekly theme gives focus and direction for incorporating a variety of child development areas while providing the opportunity for a bit more in-depth exploration of a topic or theme. As this site grows you’ll find more and more things in each category that can easily be incorporated into your curriculum at any time.

Of course, kids learn best when they can be hands-on, controling (or trying to ) and acting upon their environment, so always provide plenty of opportunities for them to see, touch, taste, learn and express themselves.  All we as the provider have to do is set the stage by offering many experiences to stimulate our children’s curiosity and senses. After all, play is their work so let them initiate things and make choices whenever possible.

I found that while I always had a curriculum prepared and an activity ready for virtually every moment of the Daycare day… because I allowed the children to take the lead there were many days we simply didn’t have time for half the activities I had planned.

One of the wonderful things about operating an in-home childcare center is that it’s YOUR business and YOU are the policy setter, giving you the freedom to set the pace that best serves your unique group of children. Gotta love that!

We’ll talk more about things to keep in mind when working on your curriculum in up-coming posts. Until then, as always I ask you to…

Respect each other, nurture one another and play well together!

I appreciate you,

--Mary K

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