New England Country Day School


Fours Program

As a child grows, so does her world. All of the skills that have been building for the past four years begin to fit into place. The Fours Program prepares a child for the world outside of preschool by readying her not only for academics, but for independence in self care, positive interactions in cooperative play, and self discipline in an environment where she is aware of limits and expectations. By providing an environment that is relaxed, nurturing and well supervised by caring adults teachers work to encourage each child's self-concept.

The Fours Program strengthens the active curiosity about the surrounding world and enhances the enthusiasm for learning that in turn stimulates exploratory behavior and creativity. The program schedule is designed allowing specific times for the areas outlined in the curriculum. The classroom is arranged to provide each child opportunities to gain competence in a variety of skills and techniques that increase interest and control over their environment.

The Fours Program curriculum is designed to stimulate the natural creativity and curiosity within each child. It is carefully planned to developmentally enhance and challenge skills while at the same time allow for success and enhance a love for learning. It is structured to allow each child free choice decisions, to encourage independence in activities and in social interactions with peers and to develop problem solving skills.

  • Sensory Experiences and Discovery Opportunities - The Fours Program creates an environment where a child is able to explore and discover. The Program provides opportunities in a stimulating atmosphere that encourage and make it possible for a child to investigate new ideas and situations.

  • Language Acquisition and Cognitive Thought - The Fours Program provides an environment enabling each child to understand the basics of the spoken language so she may better express her own thoughts. The child is offered opportunities to apply concepts and draw conclusions, sequence and rhyme, understand consequences for actions, explore and discover the "why" of how things work and "why" and "how" things happen, initial letter sound discrimination, and develop an overall elementary independence in one's thought process.

  • Creative Expression - Creative expression through art, music and movement is continued and encouraged throughout the Fours Program in daily activities from creating one's own rainforest animal, to native American chants and dances, to traditional holiday songs.

  • Cooking, Science and Math - Teachers help guide the child to learning experiences that focus on how and where to find solutions. The Fours Program creates an environment where for exploration and discovery from illustrating the life cycle of a frog, hatching butterflies, recreating a tornado, to making turtle bread, to dramatizing the growth of a plant through movement, to taking a trip into space. This is what the Fours is about. More than, less than; numbers and place value; small, smaller, smallest; science in the physical and natural worlds; cooking, mixing, measuring, and observing food changes are all examples of activities that are presented for exploration.

  • Self-help Skills - Opportunities are provided to help promote a child's growing desire for independence, to encourage and maintain the foundation of good organizational skills. Each child is encouraged to do activities on their own and is offered activities allowing choice. Activities encouraged at this age range from snapping and zippering, to dressing from head to toe, to setting snack and lunch tables and pouring beverages. Activities are geared to the developmental levels of the children within the program.

  • Social and Emotional Development - The Program promotes the development of self-discipline by providing an environment in which the child knows the expectations and limitations. Through active interaction with peers in a social environment, aspects of social development such as cooperative play respect for one's self and others are fostered.

  • Fine and Gross Motor Skill Development - An experientially rich and developmentally appropriate classroom results in experiences that encompass skills that are necessary for a successful life. The child has the opportunity to practice and master skills through activities which may include hopping, skipping and walking on a balance beam; puzzles, blocks, and manipulatives for perpetual development.

  • Interest Centers - Centers are designed and arranged in the classroom and integrated into the daily routine for individual and group activities. Canters are planned to include Quiet Corner, Manipulative, Puzzles, Science & Math, Listening, Games, Sensory, Housekeeping & Dramatic Play, Art, Workbench, Doll House, Blocks, and Computer.

  • Cultural Awareness - The Fours Program emulates a respect for the individuality of each child. At the same time, it promotes respect for others. Through stories, songs, visitors, field trips and holiday celebrations many different cultures are shared. All these are used to enrich the child's learning and extend the child's life experiences to those beyond the classroom.

Learning takes place every second of a child's life. It is in general a fine blend of all the above, structured to the developmental levels of each child. In all, we try to tie together all of the loose strings. In the end we hope to have encouraged a very well adjusted child, one who enjoys life and learning, feels good about herself, is tolerant of others and has the essential social and self help skills to function in today's world.