Pre-Kindergarten

The AAS Pre-Kindergarten program is based on the belief that learning at its best is collaborative and interactive. Children learn through play by exploring, building, and creating. Teachers work to create an environment that extends children’s understanding of conceptual knowledge and develops social, emotional and physical skills. Teachers carefully plan the daily activities to nurture each child’s mental, physical and emotional growth. The classroom provides an environment where children are able to develop to the full potential of their imagination and ingenuity.

The AAS Pre Kindergarten curriculum celebrates and embraces the natural curiosity of young minds and endeavours to cultivate a lifelong passion for learning.

Our program is inspired by

  • Inquiry Based Learning
  • Nature Pedagogy
  • Emergent Curriculum
  • Reggio Emilia philosophy

PLAY forms the basis of our program.

Children learn through play by exploring, building, sharing and creating. Teachers provide a learning environment that extends children’s understanding of conceptual knowledge, early literacy and numeracy, in addition to developing social, emotional and physical skills.

There are five main domains in the Pre-K program:

Approaches to Learning

This domain focuses on children as active, involved and confident learners. Through engagement in a play/inquiry based program children are supported to develop approaches to learning such as wonder, curiosity, creativity, investigation, questioning, communication, imagination, initiative and risk taking.

Physical Development

This domain is centred on physical health, engagement in daily activities, self care and safety of the children. They are supported to use sensory capabilities with increasing integration, skill and purpose to explore and respond to their world. Pre-kindergarten children are also supported to develop personal care skills and safety awareness.

Social and Emotional Development

Social and emotional development of pre-kindergarten children is about helping them develop an awareness and competence in forming positive relationships that give meaning to their experiences at home, school and larger community. In this domain, the children will be learning to interact with others with care, empathy and respect. Some of the things covered in this domain include self-awareness and self-concept, self-regulation, relationship building, responsibility and adaptability.

Communication, Language and Literacy

Pre-kindergarten children communicate with others using gesture, sounds and language. Expressing ideas, thoughts, questions and feelings. The pre-kindergarten program allows children to engage in the diverse languages of music, movement, visual arts, drama and mathematics. It also supports children’s development in talking, listening, viewing, reading and writing. This domain encompasses all forms of communication, language and literacy. It also covers the needs of children learning English as an additional language.

Cognition and Knowledge of the World

Pre-kindergarten children engage with Math and mathematical thinking on a daily basis. Through their play and inquiry they encounter pattern, structure, number, measurement, data presentation, sequencing, spatial relations and problem solving.

The Knowledge of the World component of this domain encompasses children’s understandings, connections and contributions to their world. Broader issues such as participation, responsibility, fairness, diversity and care of the environment are also addressed here.

Guiding Principles for AAS Pre-K Learning Program

  • All children are capable of learning, achieving and making developmental progress. The Prekindergarten Learning Standards are intended for all children regardless of economic, linguistic, and cultural differences or physical, learning, and emotional challenges.
  • Children develop at different rates and each child is unique in his/her own development, growth, and acquisition of skills. Appropriate and reasonable supports and accommodation must be provided to enable all children to succeed.
  • Children are active learners. A primary approach to learning is through purposeful play. Intentional planning promotes rich learning experiences that invite participation, involve multiple contexts, and engage the senses that help children explore their environment.
  • Early learning and development are multi-dimensional. Children’s learning is integrated and occurs simultaneously across all domains, which are interrelated and interactive with one another.
  • Children learn in the context of interactions and relationships with family members, caregivers, teachers, and other children in their immediate environment and in their community.
  • The family is a significant contributor to children’s lifelong learning and development. Actively engaging parents in the early education of their children is essential to children’s success in the elementary classroom and later learning.
  • The Learning Standards may be used as tools to empower parents, teachers, and caregivers to better support and enhance young children’s learning and development.
  • The Learning Standards acknowledge and respect children’s rich backgrounds, their heritage, cultures, and linguistic differences.