Curriculum
Infants - Ones
Little Blessings, published by Gospel Light, is the foundation of the Spiritual component for Infants and Ones. This program provides a plethora of resources to integrate key Bible concepts into our infants and ones programs with developmentally appropriate teaching about God and His love for every child. Little Blessings provides monthly parent letters, Bible-based themes, colorful posters, music, picture cards and many wiggle and giggle activities that are planned throughout your child's day.
Our ones classes also attend our monthly preschool chapel. Community Church of Joy partners with us as we bring God's word to children. The church staff supports us in weekly prayer and attends our monthly chapels.
INNOVATIONS: The Comprehensive Infant Curriculum and INNOVATIONS: The Comprehensive Toddler Curriculum, published by Gryphon House, Inc, are also utilized in the planning of your child's experiences or "possibilities." This program focuses on how development is encouraged, facilitated and stimulated. It is interactional, viewing development as the complex interplay between the child and his world. The Innovations curriculum is divided into six components that are major developmental challenges (or tasks) children experience as they learn and grow. Each task is accompanied by two related curriculum plans or units, called "Possibilities Plans."
Each "Possibilities Plan" includes ideas for planning dramatic play, sensory/art, curiosity, literacy, music, movement, outdoor time and projects. Resources for each plan also includes ideas to integrate prop boxes, pictures, vocabulary, books, rhymes, fingerplays and toys.
The most important component of our curriculum is parent support. Parent participation in what we do makes it all possible.
September: I
See God’s Love at Church Verse: “God Made Me.” Job 33:4. Objectives: To help each child: feel secure and comfortable at school; begin to associate God and Jesus with loving people and enjoyable activities. Song: It’s Fun to Go to Church. Fingerplay: I Come In to Church |
October: Jesus
Loves Children Verse: “Jesus loves the children,” Mark 10:16. Objectives: To help each child: develop an awareness of the name of Jesus and associate Him with being loved; enjoy the activities provided. Songs: Jesus Loves the Little Children, Each Little Child. Fingerplay: Jesus Loves Us All. |
November: God
Gives Me Food Verse: “God gives us food” Genesis 1:29. Objectives: To help each child: develop an awareness that God made food; enjoy eating food with teachers and other children. Songs: I Thank God, Food For Me, Thank You. Fingerplay: My Food. |
December: Jesus
Was a Baby Verse: “His name is Jesus” (Luke 1:31). Objective: To help each child: show interest in pictures, conversation and songs about baby Jesus; receive personal attention and love as teachers seek to show Jesus’ love in way a child understands. Songs: Happy Birthday, Jesus! Christmas Party. Fingerplay: Look into the Stable. |
January: God
Helps Me to Grow Verse: “God Made Me” (Malachi 2:10). Objective: To help each child: associate new accomplishments with God and Jesus; enjoy the success of new accomplishments. Songs: I am Growing, Grow Song. Fingerplay: I’m Growing. |
February: My
Family Loves Me Verse: “God gives us families” (Psalm 68:6). Objective: To help each child: begin to associate God and Jesus with loving people at home and at church; respond to demonstrations of affection. Songs: My Family, My Family Loves Me. Fingerplay: Families. |
March: Jesus
Loves Me Verse: “Jesus Loves Us” (Revelations 1:5). Objective: To help each child: enjoy activities in which teachers talk lovingly of Jesus; frequently hear the words, “Jesus Loves Us.” Songs: Yes, Jesus Loves You, Jesus Loves Us All. Fingerplay: Day and Night, Jesus Loves Me. |
April: God Makes
Growing Things Verse: “God made everything” (Genesis 1:1). Objective: To help each child: associate God with items of His Creation; enjoy exploring items that God has made. Songs: Growing Things, God Made Grins. Fingerplay: I’m a Little Seed. |
May: People
at Church Help Me Verse: “God gives people to help me" (Corinthians 12:26). Objective: To help each child: develop an awareness of Jesus; and associate Jesus with being loved and helped. Songs: Helping, Helpers. Fingerplay: People Help Me. |
June: God Cares
for Me Verse: “God cares about you” (Peter 5:7). Objective: To help each child: associate God with the loving care experienced at church; show interest in conversation and songs about God’s care. Song: God Loves Me. Fingerplay: God Cares for Me. |
July: God
Made Me Verse: “God Made Me” (Job 33:4). Objective: To help each child: enjoy success in using the body God made for him/her; begin to develop an awareness that God made his/her body. Songs: I Have Two Eyes, God Made Me. Fingerplay: God Made |
August: God
Gives Me Friends Verse: “Love each other” (John 15:12). Objective: To help each child: enjoy happy encounters with other children at church; associate God with helping experiences with others. Songs: Friends, My Friends. Fingerplay: I roll the ball to my friends. |
Twos - Fives
The foundation of our Curriculum for twos through fives is Bright Beginnings: Exploring God’s World, published by Gospel Light. The program provides a plethora of resources to integrate key Bible concepts into our preschool program with developmentally appropriate teaching about God and His love for every child. The monthly Bible concepts were chosen especially to bring God’s Word to a preschooler’s world and to help each child begin to build a spiritual foundation that will last a lifetime.
The Bright Beginnings program includes creative learning activities in art, blocks, dramatic play, large motor games and science. There are also age-appropriate interactive prayer and Bible verse activities, large colorful posters and a fun CD for Bible and activity songs. Our program also includes music classes and monthly chapel times.
The staff at Community Church at Joy partners with us as we bring God’s word to children. They support us in prayer and attend our chapels as often as possible.
The most important component of our curriculum is parent support. Parent participation in what we do makes it all possible.
September Bible Concept: God Helps Us To Be Friends. Bible Verse: “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17). |
October Bible Concept: Jesus Is My Friend and Helper. Bible Verse: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid” (Hebrews 13). |
November Bible Concept: I Can Pray to God and Thank Him for His Goodness. Bible Verse: “God has been good to me” (see Genesis 33:11). |
December Bible Concept: God Sent Jesus to Earth to Be Born as a Baby. Bible Verse: “God’s Son is born for us” (see Isaiah 9:6). |
January Bible Concept: The Bible Helps Me Learn Good and Right Ways to Live. Bible Verse: “Hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). |
February Bible Concept: God Wants Me to Love and Care for Others. Bible Verse: “Let us love one another" (1 John 4:7). |
March Bible Concept: God Made Everything in the World. Bible Verse: “God made the world and everything in it” (see Acts 17:24). |
1st & 2nd weeks of
April Bible Concept: Jesus Loves Me So Much That He Died on the Cross and is Alive Today. Bible Verse: “Sing praises to the Lord” (Psalm 9:11). |
2nd & 3rd
weeks of April Bible Concept: God Made Me So That I Can Do Good Things. Bible Verse: “God made us to do good” (see Ephesians 2:10). |
May Bible Concept: God Will Help and Protect Me Wherever I Am. Bible Verse: “God will help you” (1 Chronicles 12:18). |
During summer
months, teachers integrate the curriculum developed by CCOJ’s
Children’s Ministry staff for their VBS and Preschool camps
into our full day program. |
Kindergarten
Choosing a Kindergarten program is an important step in your child’s educational career. There are many reasons to send your child to Joy Christian School.
Your child will receive a Christ centered education at Joy Christian School. Biblical values are woven throughout the curriculum and into the relationships with the students and families. Students attend a chapel program once a week.
Our teachers are all state certified and specialize in early childhood education. They use developmentally appropriate techniques in their instruction, along with providing a fun, loving and safe environment.
Our full day Kindergarten uses the Core Knowledge curriculum which is a grade-by-grade sequence of common learning necessary to ensure a sound and elementary education that far surpasses the Arizona State Standards. This curriculum provides a solid base upon which to build their future school success.
Students are taught reading through decoding skills and comprehension strategies. We use Literacy By Design from the Rigby company. This program also integrates writing into instruction. Students participate in whole group and small group instructional settings along with independent practice. The reading block is approximately 90 minutes each day.
We use Saxon Math which provides students consistent instruction, daily mixed practice and concrete, hands on experiences to help children develop higher order and abstract thinking skills.
Children also attend Special Area classes such as Music, Physical Education, Technology, Art and Spanish. These classes are taught by special area instructors.
We invite you to contact us if you’d like to hear more about our program or schedule a tour.
In His service,
Andrea Suiter, Principal
Early Childhood Center