Sunday, August 21, 2011

What To Look For In A Preschool

Here are 4 things every parent should consider 
before choosing an academic preschool program.

1. What are the ages and class size?Children 2, 3, 4 and 5 are very different in their abilities socially, academically and even physically. Parents should first look for a program that recognizes the learning styles of each age and has teachers that know the differences. Parents may want to look for a preschool that does not place all of the ages together, but rather has a seperate class or program for their child's age group. The class size should be small, allowing each child to receive individual attention throughout their day. Some classes that are offered may have up to 18 students in a class with a teacher and a helper, but this situation only means that if one student is struggling and a teacher is helping that student, then the other teacher is is left with 17 other students.

At Move-N-Learn, classes are age appropriate and we realize their learning needs are different. Classes at Move-N-Learn are small in size because we know that your child deserves to have as much attention to their needs as possible. Our maximum number is 8 for 2-3 yr olds and 10 in a class for 4-5 yr olds. Classes this size are very manageable and allows the teachers time to keep a fun learning atmosphere where every student excels.
2. What Is The School Focus?Some school spend all of their time on the ABC''s, while other preschools use the free-learning approach and the child wonders around all day choosing what they want to do. While neither approach is bad, some parents may wonder if the first is too regimented for young learning and the second is not able to be tracked as far as accomplishing educational skills. Knowing what is best for your child can be very confusing. You want them to learn and have fun, but you want to know that they are learning the necessary skills needed for further education.

A 1991 study showed that students in schools with an arts focused curriculum reported significantly more positive perceptions about their academic abilities. A University in California (Irvine) reported that preschoolers showed a 46% boost in their spatial reasoning IQ after only eight months of piano instruction. Several other studies have shown similar outcomes with the introduction of arts based classes in dance, art and music for young children.

Move-N-Learn Academy offers an arts based focus to enhance and increase academic learning and social skills. Through music, movement and art, students learn fun activities that helps with personal focus, listening, sorting, counting, body awareness (for a great personal image of oneself), balance, coordination, vocalizing and more! This program is not your typical program that teaches a young child to "shhh", but instead to question and explore on their own and as a group.

3. How Will I Know My Young Child Is Learning?
Preschool age children are at a stage in life that they are too busy to remember what all that they learned in their class. Most will only focus on what they enjoyed best for the day. So parents sometimes find it frustrating as to why they cannot get their child to tell them the answer to "What did you learn in school today?"
The Move-N-Learn Academy staff and faculty have many years of experience in teaching young children and we recognize the importance of communication with our parents. It is for that reason that we have many ways of letting parents know what is being taught and how to get the information they are looking for. Just a few are:

♦Front desk always available to assist you
♦Parent/Teacher Conferences 3 times a year and available when needed on a daily basis
♦Informative bulliten board, Facebook page and a great website!
♦Email blasts that are for your child's class situation only
♦Yearly and Monthly Calendars
♦Observation windows for parent to observe the classes
♦The ability for parents to request to "sit in" on a class day
♦Goal forms to be able to track your child's abilities
♦A Parent Portal that you can access to review your account, registration, announcements, skills achieved and much more.
♦ a parent/member page on our website with lots of good information.

4. Does it feel and look like a good fit for your child?
Not one school can be the best fit for every child. Visit the preschools in your area and use your "Mommy Instinct" to be your guide. Be sure to bring your questions to make sure you feel comfortable with the philosophy of the school's academic and free play learning. And of course, look for clean, colorful and bright classrooms with a friendly and caring teaching staff.

We invite you to take a tour of our preschool. We would love the opportunity to show you our unique school and answer any questions that you might have. We also invite you to read the testimonials that our parents have written on our academic program as well. You will find them posted on our website.





Move-N-Learn Academy of Enid

UPDATE!!!
Although we are still battling a legal issue with roof and the improper install of it, we have made forward steps to be opening this fall! Move -N - Learn Academy will be held this fall and classes are scheduled to begin the Tuesday after Labor Day 2013



Unfortunately, our Enid location is still in dispute over the new roof that was placed on the building. The building still leaks terribly and the roofing contractor has been difficult to deal with. This matter has been turned over now to an attorney who understands the importance of getting the room completed and the school opened.

We are currently in the process of trying to locate a temporary location so that we can open this fall. Please continue to follow this situation from our website, facebook page and this blog for updates. Call our office at 580-747-4799 and leave your contact information with us and we will happily keep you personally informed.

We are very sorry for this delay. The school should of been open 6 months ago with no problem, but with a difficult carpenter and roofer, we have been held back from completion of the Enid location.  We want it to be perfect for our students and once completed, you will be very surprised at the professionalism of the school.

Open House and Registration

Open House for tours and registration will be this Thursday and Friday from 2-6 pm at 609 Main street in Woodward. Families can talk to staff members and find out more information about the different age programs of Move-N-Learn Academy. Registration for fall classes is now being accepted on line and in person. Call our office at 256-3262 for more information or assistance in registering on line.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Why A Private Kindergarten Program?

Move-N-Learn offers Junior Kindergarten programs for children ages 4-5 years. This is the perfect solution for those children that have been in preschool and are ready to move forward but not old enough for Kindergarten, or those that do not meet the state cut off date for public Kindergarten.

What sets our kindergarten program apart from others is the amount of fun learning! Unlike the typical public kindergarten classes, there is more doing than sitting at a desk (although we do have desk time too). Students learn through thematic project based curriculum that allow a child to explore and begin to learn to make decisions as well as develop creativity and ideas.

Our Pre-K and Kindergarten programs meet and exceed all of the Oklahoma P.A.S.S. standards and records of each child's advancement are recorded. Our parent portal system actually all parents to go into the portal and check their child's advancement. Each child also takes home a daily report card to show the parent what they worked on during that days time in Move-N-Learn Academy.

We offer the Starfall Kindergarten curriculum and reading program that even some public schools use to supplement the schools curriculum. This curriculum meets core standards and is a great beginning towards success in reading and writing.

So if you are looking for something totally different from the typical Pre-K or Kindergarten programs, we suggest that you visit with us about our educational programs for children ages 2-5 years. Call us at 580-256-3262 (Woodward) or 580-747-4799 in Enid.



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

NEW Extended Day At Move-N-Learn This Year!

New this year at Move-N-Learn Academy is an extended day! Students will now attend our academic programs for three and a half hours per day. Our 2-3 yr old preschool program will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays and parents have a choice in enrolling for one day or two day a week from 8:00 am-11:30 am.
The 3.5-4 year pre-k/jr kindergarten attends Monday through Wednesday and the 4.5-5 yr old accelerated/kindergarten meets Monday through Thursday at the same times.

The accelerated/kindergarten class meets all and exceeds the Oklahoma P.A.S.S. standards and will include group pre-piano/keyboard.

Registraation for each age group is limited and so early registration is highly reccommended.