Preschool Program
West Oaks Private Pre-School classrooms are for children that have turned 3 years old and are potty trained. Our Preschool classrooms use the Frog Street Press curriculum and other resources from Scholastic to prepare for Pre-Kindergarten. In the spring, the children are also introduced to Handwriting Without Tears to provide a jump start to the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum they will follow in our Pre-K program.
As part of our partnership with Alief ISD, the Pre-School classrooms were just recently outfitted with new furniture, toys and learning materials. Handwriting centers, listening centers and science centers, among others, have been designed to capture the children’s attention and are part of the daily center rotation. Technology is also introduced during the school year with limited use of iPad based learning games provided by Alief ISD.
Preschool Curriculum
West Oaks Private Pre-School classes follow the Frog Street Press curriculum and a learning centers-based approach to learning. Teachers use developmental checklists and age level training to develop age-appropriate activities and experiences within the weekly center-wide thematic topic. We focus on Fine Motor Skill development, specifically in the area of writing skills, to develop a strong base for the Pre-K class. We save samples of each child’s work in a portfolio so that parents can view the development over the course of the school year. These are generally shared at parent-teacher conferences scheduled for December and May.
Playgrounds and Equipment
The Pre-School classrooms have their own playgrounds that include slides, swings, basketball hoops, and playhouses. Additionally, they use the air-conditioned gym on rainy and hot days to take advantage of additional play and learning experiences including riding toys, parachute play, soccer, and basketball.
Vegetable Garden
Each year, these classrooms participate in the planting of the vegetable garden and their teachers take them through the garden on a regular basis to look at the growth and harvesting of vegetables.
