We often get questions about the differences between Childcare and Preschool. Although both programs are located at SPARK Discovery Preschool, they are separate and unique in many ways.Here are the most common questions we hear:What is 'Wrap Around'?Wrap Around refers to childcare that 'wraps around' a child's school day. We offer childcare from 7:00 am - 5:30 pm M-F. Preschool classes run 2 hours 40 minutes, 2, 3 or 4 days a week. Wrap Around childcare is available for the time that your child is not in class.Is my child automatically enrolled in childcare with preschool?No- Preschool and childcare each have their own enrollment process and paperwork. If you are in need of Wrap Around childcare in addition to preschool, you must fill out BOTH sets of registration information and pay a registration fee for each (Preschool $65 Childcare $50)Can I pay for Preschool and Childcare together?No- Preschool and childcare fall under different district departments and use two different payment systems and different accounting. Preschool and childcare must be paid separately.Is there childcare available when school is out?Yes- Childcare offers several 'non-school days' during the year, as there is demand.
There are days offered during holiday breaks as well as teacher inservice days and other non-student contact days. These day are billed separately than regular tuition and children must be registered for these 'extra' days. We also offer a Summer Camp.Do I have to enroll my child in childcare?No-Childcare is an optional service we provide here at SPARK!
For families that work full time or need extra care.Can my child attend childcare on the days they do not have preschool?Yes- Childcare tuition rates are based on whether your child is enrolled in one of SPARK's preschool programs or not, however your child does not have to follow their preschool day schedule. You may have a child in 3 day preschool but need 5 day childcare, as long as the child is enrolled in any preschool program, they may attend any childcare days at the'enrolled' student rate.Can I enroll my child in childcare only?Sometimes- SPARK! Discovery Preschool has about 335 preschool students enrolled in it's preschool programs. Because we can only accommodate about 20% of our school population we try to limit the number of non-preschool students in childcare. Non-preschool enrollment will be handled on a case by case basis.Who is 'in charge' of childcare?Alicia Sheahan-Hall is the Community School Site Manager and oversees the childcare program, staff, enrollment, and billing. Paige Gordon, Administrator at Spark!
Discovery Preschool, and Alicia work collaboratively to provide high-quality learning environments in every classroom at Spark.Why should I enroll my child in preschool and not just childcare?Education- SPARK! Discovery Preschool is a one-of a kind, innovative preschool that offers a STEM focused preschool education. Preschool uses assessment and tracking tools to help teachers understand and better teach the children in their class. Teachers follow 'kindergarten ready' standards and help children learn the skills they will need to be life long learners. We are committed to supporting the learning of preschool in our childcare settings too. If you are in need of fulltime placement for your child we strongly encourage both a preschool class and Wrap Around childcare. What is the difference between Childcare and Preschool?
ChildcareChildcare is a way for working parents to have their children taken care of during the day. Childcare centers can start care with babies as young as 6 weeks old and have separate rooms of children of different ages, such as infant, toddlers, preschool, and kindergarten aged children. These programs are licensed and inspected by the state.
They are typically open all year long, during business hours.At Spark! Discovery Preschool, our Wrap Around childcare program fulfills this role.
A Program Manager organizes the programming, and a director is in charge of the classrooms. Our program is available to children ages 3-5 and serves as childcare for children outside our normal preschool hours. Childcare is open from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday, and at times is open when preschool is traditionally closed. This is a tuition-based program, and we also accept Colorado Child Care Assistance Program.
Researchers in Massachusetts have created a basic computer coding app that they say is the first designed specifically for children as young as 5. Kids who haven't yet learned to read can use the app to craft their own interactive stories and games.With Scratch Jr, children can snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters and other elements in their project move, jump, talk and change size. Users can modify various elements in the paint editor, add their own voices and sounds, and even insert their own photos. Trending News.' When many people think of computer programming, they think of something very sophisticated,' says co-developer Michel Resnick of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 'But we don't think it has to be that way.'
ITalia Levitt, 7, left, and Charlotte Klingaman, 6, center, and Aiden Crott, 7, right, work with their ScratchJr programs on iPads at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School in Medford, Mass.AP Photo/Stephan SavoiaMarina Umaschi Bers, his co-developer from Tufts University, cites research that shows children start to form convictions by fourth grade about how good or bad they are in math, science and technology.' So most programs that introduce coding in fourth grade and up, it's great, but they are coming kind of late to the party,' she says.The project was funded by a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help children learn to think creatively and reason systematically.The free app is already being used in kindergarten classrooms at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School in Medford.'
I learned to concentrate and use the imagination a lot,' 7-year-old Talia Levitt says. 'You can do, like, almost anything on it.' Her classmate, 7-year-old Aiden Crott, adds, 'I like making the background and then making the program and make the guy move around everywhere.'
Scratch Jr was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language for older kids. Developers say they redesigned the interface and programming language to make it appropriate for younger children.The app was launched in July on the iPad platform, and developers are working on versions for the Web and Android devices.' We don't want necessarily every young child to become a computer scientist or to work as an engineer, but we want every young child to be exposed to these new ways of thinking that coding makes possible,' Bers said.Claire Caine, a teacher at the Jewish Community Day School in Watertown, said she likes the app because it encourages kids to explore and figure out solutions to problems.'
Give it to them young enough, and they start doing it, and it just becomes like brushing teeth,' Caine said. 'Nobody says they are not good at brushing teeth or they can't brush their teeth.' First published on October 1, 2014 / 12:51 PM© 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Play Kindergarten Hacked Programs For Kids
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.