Programs

EARLY DISCOVERIES INFANT/TODDLER PROGRAM

The program has a loose structure that incorporates indoor and outdoor activities designed to stimulate development in five areas:  Sensory Play (auditory, visual and tactile), Body Play (creative movement, outdoor play), Creative Play (arts, dress-up),  Language Play (storytelling, music, puppets) and Motor Play (table and floor play,large and fine motor).

Children learn about themselves and the world around them through paly, explorations, and social interactions.  Therefore, Early Discoveries provides a variety of safe, stimulating and supportive experiences to promote individual development to your child's optimum potential.  Early Discoveries   also enhances a child's sense of indentity, self-esteem, responsibility, and independence by providing a wide variety of choices and experiences  using non-sexist and non-violent toys, behaviors and vocabulary.  Our environment is visually stimulating, bright, cheery and sanitary - yet warm and inviting.

DISCOVERY TREE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Indoor Discovery Time
During this self-directed learning center time, there are five rooms available, each with different types of activities. The Rainbow Room is our main art area, with an ongoing art center and creative projects each day. The Block Room is used for motor skill activities: dance, gymnastics, bean bag tosses, large block building, etc. In the Tree Room, we have our science projects, memory games and explore with our animals. We have a Quiet Room with a reading loft, pillows, books and puzzles - a wonderful place to relax. Our main role-playing area is the Sun Room, complete with dress-up clothes, housekeeping area and a two-story playhouse. We also bake and cook snack with the children daily.  Teachers are in each area with activities planned around our themes and the room they are in.  Children make choices of activities and how long they stay in each area and each activity.

Outdoor Discovery Time
We offer activity centers at outdoor time as well, including art activities on the patio, a group lawn game, sandbox, gardening, feed and explore with the outdoor animals.  Children may also explore the play equipment with their friends. Snack is available during this time.  Outdoor animals are available at each center,  (some locations have farm animal area) depending upon outdoor space.   Teachers are at each activity area and children may choose any or all outdoor activities.

Group Time
Each child goes to a specific room with their teacher for Group Time. The children are placed by developmental age and ability. The children participate in talking time, story sharing, movement or motor skill activities and work on the project each teacher has planned. Projects are designed to encourage language development and readiness skills.  Each group has goals based upon their developmental age, we group into Pre-K (those children who will be attending kindergarten in the next year), the middles (approximately 3-4 years) and the littles (approximately 2 to 3 years).

Circle Time
Circle Time is a language/music oriented time of day with a variety of songs, fingerplays, stories and pretend adventures.  Our circles are active - involving all children.
Preschool Ratios:   Discovery Tree maintains a teacher-child ratio of 1 to 8 in our preschool program.

Field Trips
Pre-school, and school age children participate in a variety of age appropriate walking or driving field trips.  Parents are sometimes needed in order to ensure safe and enjoyable field trips.  Parents will receive permission forms well in advance for each field trip, please note the deadline for sign-up.  In order to maintain safe ratios, last minute additions will not be allowed. 

** Any child under sixty (60) pounds or under six (6) years of age will not be transported without a car seat.  It's the law!  A D.T. t-shirt is required for all field trips.

DISCOVERY TREE SCHOOL AGE PROGRAM

Kindergarten through 6th Grade
Our afterschool program is very flexible and geared to the individual child as we have children arriving at various times from their schools. Children are met in a designated area at their school by a member of the staff and transported by school vans.

Planned activities are available daily for the child to participate in; be they an arts and crafts project, science project or work on homework in a quiet area. We meet together everyday as a group, strengthening socialization skills through shared conversations while we have our afternoon snack.
The physical environments available to your child include an outdoor playground and five rooms indoors consisting of: The Rainbow and Sun Rooms - large do-it-all areas; the Quiet Rooms - with reading lofts, connected to the Tree Room - our cognitive science center; and the Block Room for tumbling and trampolines with a large assortment of blocks and manipulative toys encouraging motor skill development.   As well as a large, challenging playground with lots of lawn areas for group games.

Providing -- Science Experiments, Arts & Crafts, Cooking Projects, Interest Center, Recycling Project, Game/Theme Days, and Field Trips.

School-Age Ratios: Discovery Tree maintains a teacher-child ratio of 1 to 12 in our School-age program.
Field Trips

Pre-school, and school age children participate in a variety of age appropriate walking or driving field trips.  Parents are sometimes needed in order to ensure safe and enjoyable field trips.  Parents will receive permission forms well in advance for each field trip, please note the deadlines for sign-up.  In order to maintain safe ratios last minute additions will not be allowed.