Our Programs

Your child will participate in a well-planned program in which growing, sharing, and learning experiences are incorporated into all activities of the day. Typically, the daily program will include structured learning periods, active play periods, and self-initiated discovery periods. A written program plan is available for review by parents. A well-trained staff will be with your child to help him/her learn and grow. Click on the following links to learn more about the different features of our program.

The Creative Curriculum

Star Wellness

ez Write

Development Goals

Field Trips

Community Involvement

Summer Program

A Creative Approach

Young children learn from their daily interactions with the environment. A carefully planned, rich environment is the foundation for our child development programs. We use the criteria established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to guide us. The Creative Curriculum by Diane Trister Dodge provides the framework for our classrooms – infant through school-age.

The Creative Curriculum focuses on interest areas and fosters creativity in both children and teachers. Being creative means thinking of new ideas, obtaining information by asking questions, and learning through trial and error. Teachers’ creativity is supported by a planning process that encourages them to be innovative in the use of materials and equipment and responsive to children. The Creative Curriculum provides information for developing an educational setting in which young children can thrive. For more information and research about play-based learning, check out our Resources section.

Star Wellness

The Star Wellness program helps children and families learn about nutrition, fitness and healthy habits in a fun and interactive way. Children are led through various activities by their very own Star Guy.

Families are encouraged to participate in the Star Wellness program as well. Each month we include a family focus around one food concept and one fitness concept. We have developed weekly “challenges” for families to accomplish at home. We believe that by reinforcing these concepts both at home and at school, children will see the importance of being healthy like The Star Guy!

We have introduced two additional components of the Star Wellness program. Lana the Iguana helps children learn about fruits and vegetables. I AM MOVING I AM LEARNING is a curriculum for teachers that includes activities and goals around physical activities. Taken together, these programs keep our focus on health and wellness fresh and fun!

Our food program includes breakfast and lunch, which is catered from The Preschool Pantry. Our meals are well-balanced and nutritious. Each week the children eat a variety of fresh fruits, and all the lunches meet USDA standards. Below is an example of a weekly menu – all meals are served with milk:

ez Write

In the fall of 2011 we launched a new curriculum that teaches writing to preschool children. Mary Beckman, an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher and her co-author, Tami, an occupational therapist, developed this handwriting program for young children that is both fun and “ez” to learn.

 With the ez Write Handwriting Program young children start early writing skills by first learning the 8 Beginning Strokes used for letter and number formation. Children trace big posters, draw in sand, paint and trace the lines with a variety of writing utensils. As children commit each of the 8 Beginning Strokes to “Muscle Memory”, learning to form letters and numbers using those strokes becomes easy and automatic.

The curriculum teaches children to write from top to bottom and left to right (the way we read and write) and use a crayon and pencil in the most efficient way. As children learn these skills they gain confidence, their frustration levels go down and they are ready to actually learn to write. See ez Write in action at our Bloomington Center!

Development Goals

At Especially for Children, we focus on the development of the whole child. Teachers create lessons plans based upon developmental objectives for each age group. Every child is monitored for progress in the following areas:

Field Trips

Toddler and preschool children at Especially for Children have the opportunity to take field trips to local farms, zoos, concerts and more. Field trips are a great way for children to experience hands-on learning. We often develop curriculum around an upcoming field trip to make the learning experience even more meaningful. We love to have parent volunteers join us on our field trips too! Watch our video blog on field trips below.

Community Involvement

We believe it is important to be involved in the community around us and to teach children about contributing to the community as well. We often participate in book, clothing and food drives as a way to engage with the community. At some of our centers, we also spend time with the elderly at nearby senior care facilities.

We have worked with:

Pajama Day Program

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery

Home Instead Senior Care

Presbyterian Homes and Services

2012 Summer Program

Our 2012 Summer Program, EFC All-American Summer, will celebrate American traditions, symbols, art and places. The summer program provides an opportunity for children to enjoy the freedom and adventure of our Minnesota summers while continuing the learning and development they experience throughout the year.

Lesson plans will include just some of the following:

• Dramatic play of the Boston Tea Party
• A word wall with vocabulary from American history
• Sensory activities using red, white and blue materials
• Literacy activities with American-themed books
• And so much more!