While daycare is a popular option for parents of infants and toddlers, when your child turns two in New York, a world of opportunity opens up. What are the benefits of putting your child into a 2s program? Read on to hear about what our 2s program has to offer.
Traditional daycare usually offers a free-play learning space to children. While this is great for little ones some of the time, there is often no learning focus. When there is no learning outcome attached to play, the opportunities for learning are not fully realized. Our school day is planned, with each learning focus carefully considered. Students in our 2s program will have access to lessons that mirror those of our older students on the Early Years floor, such as math, literacy and expressive arts and design. Each term is planned around themes which offer a stimulating and varied approach to learning.
Most daycares do not offer any early reading programs and most pre-Ks follow a traditional method of teaching children to read, beginning with letter names rather than sounds. Our school offers a rigorous and immersive phonics program that follows the Read, Write Inc. system. The system has a proven track record to raise confident and proficient readers quickly. Our 2s students are exposed to phonics and literacy in fun and creative ways from day one. Learning to read should be and is fun!
While most daycares do not offer subject teachers, we have specialist teachers in P.E., Spanish and a Juilliard-trained music teacher. The benefit of this goes beyond teachers that are trained and proficient in their subject. Students also benefit from exposure to different teaching styles and a varied routine.
Our 2s children have daily access to a dedicated and bright play space, with climbing frame and slide. They also visit our large-sized gym to make full use of PE equipment purchased specifically for this age group; including a kip bar, low and high beam and cheese mat (to assist with forward rolls and rotation).
Our 2s classes follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework which is used across all schools and daycares for children under age 5 in the UK. This is the official British system of education and sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. The key focus of this curriculum is to teach routine and ease young children into learning in a structured environment. Many activities are play-based, aiming to lay the foundation to a more formal education down the line.
Using the main learning areas of the EYFS, our students are taught with the following learning outcomes in mind:
We aim to develop the whole child. While a child may be smart or creative, they need to develop skills so that they can socialize, manage their feelings and grow their confidence. We work on all these areas, assessing as we go and reporting to parents each term. This enables our students to progress to the next academic year, ready and able to learn at the next level.
We are now accepting students into our new 2s class for children who turn 2 after September 2019. Contact our admissions team to come along to a fun, taster session in our newly renovated playspace!
Nord Anglia International School, New York
