St. Charles Catholic Church, Arlington

In 2004, Saint Charles Preschool began as an extension of the Saint Charles School education program. It is recognized that early childhood education is a critical component of the lifetime journey of learning. It is the goal of the staff of Saint Charles Preschool that each child in our program has the opportunity to continue the recognition of the wonder of God's creation through the experiences provided. From the first cry, a child begins the learning process. We recognize that parents and teachers and students are all partners in that educational process. The curriculum is not just the goals of the program and the planned activities but also the daily schedule, the availability and use of materials, transitions between activities and the way in which routine tasks of living are implemented. Young children are expected to learn through active and positive manipulation of the environment and concrete experiences that contribute to concept development. The daily schedule is intended to provide a balance of activities with attention to the following dimension of scheduling: Daily outdoor play, weather permitting Alternating periods of quiet time and active play A balance of large muscle and small muscle activities is provided Various small group or large group activities through most of the day A balance of child-initiated and staff-initiated activity is provided. The amount of time spent in staff-initiated, large group activity is limited. Saint Charles Preschool offers programs for children ages three to five.