Childcare Programs
Our school provides many different programs to help each family find what they’re looking for. We offer full day programs for children ages 6 weeks-12 years. Our classrooms are divided into age groups. We have an Infant/Toddler room for children 6 weeks – 23 months. Our preschool classrooms include a 2-3 year old room, a 3-4 year old room, and a 4-5 year old classroom. These preschool classrooms are divided based on the children’s entrance date to Kindergarten. All of our preschool classrooms are available for full day or half day enrollment.
We also offer our L.E.A.P. Preschool to any child between the ages of 3-5 provided the child can independently use the restroom. We are happy to work with your personal schedule to help accommodate any personal request.
Wonder Years also introduces all students to beginning Spanish and Physical Education through our Wonder Plus program.
Infant/Toddler
Early Learner
Preschool
Pre-Kindergarten
Early Educational Curriculum
The curriculum is prepared to meet the social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development of each child in our care. Our qualified staff provides a balanced nurturing environment with an educational setting that promotes learning through an active hands-on, exploratory and self-discovering classroom
The curriculum enables children to learn through central themes and emphasizes language experiences, creative play, science, math, discovery, art, physical development, self-help skill acquisition and social development. There are ample opportunities for development of critical thinking by providing choices, problem solving and discovery learning. When planning the curriculum, the teachers provide experiences that reflect and encompass each child’s surroundings.
Classroom Environment
Wonder Years is intent on building a bright future for your child. Therefore our goal is to create a place where all children can feel safe, loved, and proud of their successes. Having a well-prepared classroom with ample learning opportunities encourages and aids in building the beginning foundation required for early learners. Our classrooms are arranged into the following developmental areas:
- Math
- Blocks Construction
- Art
- Reading
- Science Discovery
- Language
- Writing
- Dramatic Play
Enrichment Activities
We welcome and encourage enrichment courses that provide children opportunities to learn and grow. Wonder Years has incorporated dance, soccer, Spanish, physical education and sign language to our program. This year we will incorporate GEMS activities, ZooPhonics, and Numbers Plus into our daily curriculum. These programs will enhance our language/ literacy, science, and math curriculum.
Parent Involvement
We welcome and encourage parent involvement in our school. Children are excited about their learning and want to share all the important information they are learning with their loved ones. Our teachers provide a daily communication sheet about your child’s day. Taking time at dinner to ask about his or her day may spark an enlightening conversation of what goes on during your child’s busy day.
Wonder Years provides learning experience through field-trips, center functions, classroom celebrations, and daily interactions at school. We want everyone to receive the most out of their child’s learning experience and the best way to do that is through involvement. Feel free to come in and have lunch, read a book, join us outside for some exercise, or a trip to the pumpkin patch. The children love to have their parents with them and so do we.
Parent Teacher Communication
Our teachers send home Daily Reports to let you know what your child has been doing during their busy day. In addition to these reports, each classroom has a Parent Information Board that contains a weekly lesson plan and newsletter, a daily schedule, a monthly calendar and other important information about our center.
Progress Reports
Our ultimate goal is to help each child reach his or her full potential upon entering Kindergarten. Our teachers are constantly observing each child to learn their areas of strength and weakness. Each semester our teachers will fill out a Developmental Assessment card for your child. We will schedule conference times to discuss your child’s progress at this time. If you have concerns at other times, please feel free to set up a conference with your child’s teacher at your convenience.
Enrollment
To enroll your child in Wonder Years your child’s paperwork for the State of Missouri, our center paperwork, yearly contract, and an initial orientation visit for transitioning must be completed before your child’s first day. After completing the child’s enrollment packet we will need for you and your child to spend time visiting our preschool which will aid in adjusting to our routine and will help us get to know your family as you begin to get to know ours. This is best done by setting up time to spend with your child in our classroom, so our teachers can begin to know your child and the goals we will be working on together with you. You’re welcome any time for your visit or set up an appointment with the center before your first day.
Infant/Toddler • 6 Weeks – 24 Months
Our Infant and Toddler classroom is unique to your child with our staff providing a safe, loving and developmentally appropriate environment. From birth, children learn by playing and exploring the environment around them. The teachers love to cuddle the children, work on tummy time, language development, motor skills and sensory exploration. Our classroom is busy with singing songs, reading books and dancing along with providing time for creating and sensory exploration. The children begin to work on simple sign language and Zoophonics sounds in their classroom to promote beginning language development. Our teachers support your child’s daily experiences with love and attention that allows your child to discover and learn with independence and experiences. Our supportive physical environment provides positive relationships, interesting materials that challenge your child and provides excellent early learning from the start. You will receive a daily report to communicate what your child’s day entailed along with being able to talk with the staff directly each day.
Early Learners • 2 – 3 Years
Our two-year-old classroom is an exciting time for your child as they begin to become more independent. Our staff provides a loving, safe learning environment for your child. The curriculum is based on keeping each child busy through experiences and play based learning. This year is a time for exploring through thematic lessons and beginning to form social relations with other students, introduction to toilet training and promoting self-help skills that encourage independence. Our daily adventures include developing and teaching the tools for language and the importance of how language creates successes. We explore through reading, singing, multi-step directions
Preschool • 3 – 4 Years
Preschool is such wonderful time for learning. Your child is meeting new friends and experiencing new information daily. Their minds are absorbing the world of knowledge in a fun interactive setting. We love to see what they teach you on their journey through preschool.
At Wonder Years your child’s day is carefully planned out with a variety of hands-on activities to encourage learning and socialization. Your child’s day will include morning calendar, music and movement, learning centers that have active hands-on material. In the various centers your child will have creative art time, will gain beginning math concepts like counting, sorting and sequencing. Your child is taught to write their name and recognize letters, numbers, colors and shapes. Our preschool teachers introduce concepts like opposites, identifying emotions and basic directional skills. At this age, we also put a large focus on teaching self-awareness and fostering independence by helping your child master their self-help skills.
We design our preschool classrooms with these developmental milestones in mind and equip each classroom with age-appropriate, educational toys to help continue inspiring your child’s curiosity and desire to learn and engage with their classmates and their environment.
Pre-Kindergarten • 4 – 5 Years
Our Pre-Kindergarten class is the last step in preschool before moving on to kindergarten. At Wonder Years our mission is to prepare your child to be successful. Our Pre-Kindergarten teachers help build essential skills by preparing engaging activities that balance instructed learning and purposeful play for your child each day.
Our educational curriculum includes gross and fine motor skills, reading readiness, writing instruction and math concepts. Your child will be able to retell stories, learn the order of sequencing, apply their knowledge of phonetics to early reading skills. We continue to help develop their social emotional and self-esteem by working on and expanding their ability to use critical thinking skills. During their day we are always working on developing their listening and communicative skills; we also practice self-control, how to connect with others, and encourage full participation in our exciting lessons. We evaluate your child’s readiness based on age-appropriate benchmarks in order to assess their individual growth and development.