The Child Development classes at West Albany High School integrate a preschool into their curriculum 3 days a week. We believe this program serves to provide a positive learning experience for both high school and preschool students. The high school students are the “teachers” in the preschool and provide a one-to-one ratio. Each preschool day, students will present organized learning activities, supervise free play, and serve nutritional snacks. Please be aware that this is not daycare and functions similar to other preschool programs in our surrounding area with classroom routines, targeted preschool milestones, and daily schedule.

The focus of our preschool is to help children learn to become enthusiastic learners. Our curriculum identifies goals in all areas of development:

1. Social- to help children feel comfortable in school, trust their new environment, make friends, and feel that they are a part of a group.

2. Emotional- to help children experience pride and self-confidence, to develop independence and self-control, and have a positive attitude toward life.

3. Cognitive- to help children become confident learners by letting them try out their own ideas and experience success, and by helping them acquire learning skills such as the ability to solve problems, ask questions, and words to describe their ideas, observations and feelings.

4. Physical- to help children increase their large and small muscle skills and feel confident about what their bodies can do.

The activities we plan for the children, the way we organize the environment, select toys and materials, plan the daily schedule and talk with the children, are all designed to accomplish these goals.