DLM Curriculum

The DLM Early Childhood ExpressTM offers a comprehensive child- centered curriculum. DLM links instruction in the following content areas:

• Literacy • Math

• Science • Social Studies

• Fine Arts • Health and Safety

• Personal Development • Technology

• Physical Development

Comprehensive Curriculum

Integrated instruction that links essential disciplines to make instruction more relevant and help

children recognize patterns in learning

Focuses on nonfiction to build background, vocabulary, and oral language

Features rhymes, songs, and dances that develop phonological awareness

Provides daily Read Alouds to enrich students’ imagination

Essential questions in each unit theme helps children connect what they know with what they learn

Develops interpersonal skills through daily social emotional instruction

Offers “How-to-science,” which teaches observing and investigating

Includes manipulatives and games that convey math and science concepts

Reinforce concepts for students using hands-on technology

Simplify planning and tracking student progress and growth with online resources

The DLM Early Childhood ExpressTM nurtures each child by offering carefully selected and sequenced learning experiences. It provides a wealth of materials and ideas to foster the social-emotional, intellectual, and physical development of children.

Social and Emotional Development

Social-emotional development is addressed everyday through positive reinforcement, interactive activities, and engaging songs.

Language and Communication

All lessons are focused on language acquisition, which include oral language development and vocabulary activities.

Emergent Literacy: Reading

Children develop literacy skills for reading through exposure to multiple read-aloud selections each day and through daily phonological awareness and letter recognition activities.

Emergent Literacy: Writing

Children develop writing skills through daily writing activities and during Center Time.

Mathematics

The math strand is based on Building Blocks, the result of NSF-funded research, and is designed to develop children’s early mathematical knowledge through various individual and group activities.

Science

Children explore scientific concepts and methods during weekly, hands-on, science-focused, and center time activities.

Social Studies

Children explore Social Studies concepts during weekly social studies-focused, large-group activities, and Center Time activities.

Fine Arts

Children are exposed to art, dance, and music through a variety of weekly activities and the Creativity Center.

Technology

Technology is integrated throughout each week with the use of online math activities, computer time, and other digital resources.

Physical Development

The DLM Early Childhood ExpressTM is designed to allow children active time for outdoor play during the day, in addition to daily and weekly movement activities.

English Language Learners

Today’s classrooms are very diverse. The DLM Early Childhood ExpressTM addresses this diversity by providing lessons in both English and Spanish. The program also offers strategies to assist English Language Learners at multiple levels of proficiency.

With The DLM Early Childhood ExpressTM, children develop concrete skills through experiences with music, art, storytelling, hands-on activities and teacher-directed lessons that, in addition to skills development, emphasize practice and reflection.

The DLM Early Childhood ExpressTM curriculum provides multiple assessments for every learning domain. Easy-to-use printable and exportable reports are available by domain and learning objective. Weekly checklists are arranged by developmental domain so teachers can quickly check behaviors and skills. Performance Assessments provide information on all program learning objectives for the year.