Our curriculum includes:
- Language and Culture
- Kindergarten Readiness
- Health Promotion
- Nutrition
- Parent participation
Curriculum
The Dusk’a curriculum follows several core principles:
Social and emotional development
One of the main goals of quality early childhood education is to foster young children’s social and emotional development. By learning how to appropriately express and manage feelings, children learn how to get along with others.
Language and cognitive development
Language and literacy skills develop through talking, listening, playing, reading, writing and learning the skills that adults use to communicate. Language and literacy are supported and encouraged through play, music, rhythm and rhyme. Language is linked to cognitive development. Cognitive development is the growth of thinking skills.
Literacy
Children gradually begin to understand how oral language is reflected in written symbols (letters), and learn to create written symbols to communicate their ideas. This process can be supported in an environment that is rich in language and literacy experiences.
Concept development
Concepts are learned through listening, watching, playing, imitating and exploring. Concepts are learned during everyday routines and play.
Motor skill development
The development of fine motor and gross motor skills is a critical part of the development of the preschool child. Young children need both indoor and outdoor space that allows them to experience a variety of developmentally appropriate physical activities.
Fine motor development
Children are “hands on” learners and explore their environment by using their hands, guided by their vision. The hands are an important tool for learning. Fine motor skills can be developed using a variety of materials like sand, water, paint, pegboards, beading and sponges. Hand skills include colouring, cutting, printing, and eye/finger/hand manipulation skills.
Daily routine activities
Centre time
Centre time or “Free Play” allows for children to choose what is open for them to explore. The spaces are specifically designed for active involvement and experience based learning. The designs support children’s individuality, developmental abilities, interests and learning styles. Learning centres include table top centre, art centre, dramatic play centre, sand/water centre, Science centre, building centre, book or quiet centre.
Small group activities
Small group activities involve breaking up the larger group into smaller ones in order to explore a specific activity.
Circle time
Circle time allows for children to come together as a larger group to experience and explore songs, finger plays, movement, stories and participate in discussions. Activities that support development of specific language concepts can be done.
Gross motor/movement time/outdoor time
Children participate in a variety of movement activities and outdoor pursuits. Children work on skills that are developmentally appropriate by learning about body awareness, motor planning, physical fitness and the use of recreational equipment.
Native language instruction
Native Language instruction is in Southern Tutchone. Language activities are related to local values and customs of Kwanlin Dün and Yukon First Nations. Snack and meal time children come together and eat as a group. Teachers take this time to assist and model manners, safe eating practices and self-help skills.
Toileting/diapering
Proper diapering procedures are posted and followed to assure the children’s health and safety.
Naptime
There is a space where toddlers can sleep quietly and safely. Toddlers have their own mat or cot, blanket and familiar space to sleep in. A relaxed mood is created by planning a quiet activity before nap time or by playing soft music.
Class schedules
Dusk’a organizes its students into three classrooms: toddlers (aged 18 months to three years old), three-year-olds, and four-year-olds.
Toddlers (18 months to three years old)
The toddler curriculum is a developmentally appropriate guide for our teachers to follow. The principles of healthy growth and development are integrated throughout our curriculum’s guiding principles:
- Nurturing relationships.
- Learning is most meaningful when it is integrated across all areas of development.
- Learning is continuous and sequential.
- Children are active and individual learners.
- Development and learning are rooted in culture and supported by the family.
8:30 to 9:00: Free play at learning centres (blocks, dramatic play, art, sand and water play, books, science and discovery) and diapering
9:00 to 9:30: Snack time and hand washing
9:30 to 9:45: Circle time
9:45 to 10:00: Activity (cooking or baking, exploration, discovery, guest speaker, gardening, play dough)/extension of circle
10:00 to 10:30: Free play at learning centres and diapering
10:30 to 11:15: Outside/gross motor play
11:15 to 11:30: Diapering and washing up
11:30 to 12:00: Lunch, hygiene and washing up
12:00 to 1:45: Nap/quiet time
1:45 to 2:00: Diapering
2:00 to 2:15: Native language instruction
2:15 to 2:45: Snack time, hand washing and diapering
2:45 to 3:30: Free play
3:30 to 4:30: Outside/gross motor play
Pre-schoolers
Preschool curriculum is a developmentally appropriate guide for our teachers to follow. The principles of healthy growth and development are integrated throughout the curriculum. Our preschool guiding principles are:
- Children are active learners.
- Each child learns in unique ways.
- Learning is most meaningful when it is integrated across all areas of development.
- Learning is continuous and sequential.
8:30 to 9:00: Free play and learning centres (blocks, dramatic play, art, sand and water play, books, science and discovery)
9:00 to 9:30: Snack time and washroom/hygiene
9:30 to 10:00: Circle time
10:00 to 10:45: Activity (cooking or baking, exploration, discovery, guest speaker, gardening, play dough)/extension of circle
10:45 to 11:30: Outside/gross motor play and toileting
11:30 to 12:15: Lunch, hygiene and washing up
12:15 to 1:30: Nap/relaxation time
1:30 to 2:00: Library
2:00 to 2:30: Snack time and washroom/hygiene
2:30 to 3:00: Native language instruction
2:45 to 3:30: Free play
3:15 to 3:30: Goodbye song and story time
7:30 to 9:15: Free play and learning centres (blocks, dramatic play, art, sand and water play, books, science and discovery)
9:15 to 9:45: Snack time and washroom/hygiene
9:45 to 10:15: Circle time
10:15 to 10:30: Activity (cooking or baking, exploration, discovery, guest speaker, gardening, play dough)/extension of circle
10:30 to 11:30: Outside/gross motor play and toileting
11:30 to 12:00: Lunch, hygiene and washing up
1:30 to 1:45: Quiet literacy activities as children wake up
1:45 to 2:00: Native language instruction
2:00 to 2:30: Snack time and washroom/hygiene
2:30 to 3:30: Crafting
3:30 to 4:15: Book club/library
4:30 to 5:30: Outside/gross motor play