Early Childhood Programs for Ages 3-5

The early childhood programs for ages 3-5 years are based on the Primary Years Program of the International Baccalaureate Organization curriculum, with whom the school is seeking affiliation and eventual accreditation. The children are involved in full language immersion classes, where only the targeted world language is spoken in order to create a solid foundation for that language. Children essentially learn their second language in the same way they learned their native tongue-hearing it, interactively listening to it, responding in it, and using it in context to real life. Human development is a fixed process, and so is the natural development of language. The most effective language development programs follow these natural processes, which is why full immersion is so dramatically effective during the children's early years. They are assimilating two or even three languages simultaneously by simply "living them." In no other time in a human's life is language development so easy. Of course we can learn languages all of our lives, at any time; but the early years are the formative ones where children simply absorb and live the languages they experience.

The academic program is full of real life experiences. Children learn best by constructing their own reality through personal experience. All concepts are developed within the child's internal structures and so they learn by doing, not by being told what to know. Through trial and error, and seeing for themselves how their world works, both physically and socially, children create mental constructs, which are the basis of all human intelligence. If we want our children to be intelligent, we must offer them the broadest possible opportunities for personally experiencing their world. At CoIS, this includes dynamic learning centers for children, offering a variety of experiences, based on thematic units of study where reading, math and scientific investigation are all integrated in comprehensible and inter-related activities, and all within the environment of a second language.

Our teachers are native language speakers and experienced in dynamic early childhood programs. They bring with them the unique cultural knowledge of their own countries, thereby accustoming our young students to multicultural experiences and understanding. Teachers are continuously receiving staff development by the school's educational leader, who is an expert in child development and curriculum design, by the IBO training programs offered throughout the school year, and at institutions of higher learning, which CoIS encourages and supports.

An example of one language immersion stream is Spanish. The curriculum of the preschool is based on the established preschool curricula of Spanish-speaking countries adapted to the American context, in a dynamic experiential method. The preschool uses qualified native Spanish speakers, authentic texts, and immersion pedagogical methods to provide a rich, personally and culturally satisfying learning experience in the Spanish language for your child. The curriculum includes elementary school readiness, pre-reading and writing skills with an emphasis on phonetic awareness, math and science literacy, as well as arts, athletics and cultural enrichment activities. Our students are well prepared for the dynamic, transdisciplinary-integrated curriculum of the elementary and middle school years.

Contact the school to receive an information packet about the preschoo/kindergarten program of your choice!