Kickstarters Preschool Program - Fraser School - Services

Fraser School®

Preschool Program

For children 33 months to 5 years


Fraser School®’s preschool program is accredited through the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) and is Four Star Parent Aware rated. Our teachers use The Creative Curriculum®, which is considered the gold standard for infant, toddler, and preschool curriculum.

Children are also assessed twice a year with Teaching Strategies Gold to monitor social/emotional, cognitive, physical and language development. We utilize Incredible Years for social and emotional curriculum.

We strive to maintain a child-to-staff ratio of 6:1 or 7:1 for preschool classrooms, based upon criteria set forth by the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation.

The preschool curriculum focuses on further developing socialization skills, independence, and early academic foundations. Socially, preschool-aged children are learning how to share and take turns with friends. Preschool-aged children also continue to work on toileting, self-dressing, and taking care of their belongings. They are also learning to negotiate with others and solve problems. They learn to transition as a group and stay safe during those transitions. All of these skills are fundamental for future educational endeavors.

Preschool-aged children are also working on the fundamentals of early academic knowledge like mathematics and literacy. During this developmental phase, many children learn rote counting and to sing the alphabet song. Many activities that may seem like “just play” support academic skills. For example, building with blocks helps children learn shapes. Giving friends in dramatic play a plate helps them practice one-to-one correspondence. Pretending they work in a restaurant can teach basic literacy while looking at menus and writing out orders.

The preschool curriculum involves longer, large group times and more direct instruction through individual and small group table activities and learning centers. Teachers provide various experiences with music, movement, and exploration, two to three times each week, depending upon nap schedules. Preschool teachers also incorporate more nutrition, science, and social studies. Each preschool classroom has a writing center and includes some woodworking activities into the learning centers.

Fraser’s Preschool Curriculum

Each daily schedule allows for activities that are both quiet and active, teacher-directed and child-initiated.
  • Quiet activities include completing puzzles, reading books individually, and art activities.
    • Each classroom has an easel and an art area with a variety of tools, such as markers, pencils, paint, paintbrushes, papers, stencils, glue, dot markers, etc.
    • Each classroom also has a sensory table that can be filled with a variety of sensory materials such as sand, water, cotton balls, feathers, etc.
  • Active activities include gross motor time in the gym and/or playground, music therapy sessions, and building with large blocks.
    • Each classroom has a wide variety of manipulative toys, including blocks, Legos/Duplos, bristle blocks, magnatiles, cars, plastic animals, etc.
    • Each classroom has several shelves for a variety of other toys to encourage cognitive development such as puzzles, wood blocks, unifix cubes, board games, magnifying glasses, etc.
  • Teacher-directed activities include reading stories, music therapy sessions, and small group table activities. Child-initiated activities include free play time and gross motor time.
    • Each classroom has dramatic play furniture and a wide variety of accessories to encourage creative play, such as plastic food, dolls, doll clothes, plastic plates, cups, utensils, pots, and pans.
    • Each classroom also has a bookshelf and children’s books.

Typical Preschool Daily Schedule

7:00-9:00 a.m. Extended day arrival
Breakfast is served until 8:00 a.m. Age-appropriate play activities and stories are provided.
9:00-9:30 a.m. Free Play
Arrivals coupled with individual learning time. Teachers set up specific areas of learning (art, music, fine motor, gross motor activities, dramatic play, cognitive). Children may move from one area to another as they choose. In the prekindergarten classrooms, children sign in as they arrive and answer the question of the day.
9:30-9:45 a.m. Group time
May include a story, calendar time, weather, helpers, etc.
9:45-10:15 a.m.Snack time and toileting
10:15-10:45 a.m. Gross motor activities
This may be on the playground or in the gym, depending upon weather.
10:45-11:00 a.m. Free Play/Learning Centers
Teachers set up specific areas of learning (art, music, fine motor, gross motor, dramatic play, cognitive). Children may move from one area to another, as they choose.
11:00-11:20 a.m. Music Time
Teachers provide various experiences with music, movement, and exploration, twice per week for more formal music and movement activities. At other times, teachers plan more informal music and movement activities in their centers.
11:20-11:30 a.m.Clean up and prepare for outdoors (if applicable)
11:30-11:50 a.m.Gross motor activities – Indoor/Outdoor
11:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m.Story Time/prepare for lunch
12:00-12:30 p.m.Lunch
12:30-12:45 p.m. Toileting and Transition to PM nap rooms
Quiet activities and arrival of afternoon children.
12:45-2:40 p.m. Children napping in nap rooms.
Children can lie on their cots for 30 minutes and then get up to do quiet activities; however, if a child does not need a regular nap, they can move to a non-napping room.
Non-napping classrooms have a typical preschool schedule for the afternoons that also includes a rest/quiet period.
1:00-2:00 p.m. Free Play/Child-directed learning
Teachers set up specific areas of learning (art, music, fine motor, gross motor, dramatic play, cognitive). Children may move from one area to another as they choose.
2:00-2:20 p.m.Gross motor activities – Indoor/Outdoor
2:20-2:40 p.m.Group activity or story time
2:40-3:00 p.m.Snack
3:00-3:30 p.m. Quiet activities and toileting
Departure of children. Prepare for transition to extended day.
3:30-4:20 p.m. Free Play/Child-directed learning
Teachers set up specific areas of learning (art, music, fine motor, gross motor, dramatic play, cognitive). Children may move from one area to another, as they choose.
4:20-4:40 p.m.Gross motor time – Indoor/Outdoor
4:40-5:00 p.m.Group time
5:00-6 p.m.Free play/Departure