Infant Program

Our infant program has two separate classrooms which serve children ages 6 weeks-18 months old.

Infants 1 is designed for children ages 6 weeks-12 months and has a variety of soft play activity areas that allow babies to stretch and explore. Teachers follow each family's individual schedules for their babies and all activities are logged into our Brightwheel app for families to view during the day. Primary Caregivers are assigned so that teachers and families can bond and have a strong relationship regarding the care of their baby. The Infants 1 class follows the Experience Early Learning Baby curriculum which allows teachers to follow readiness cues to introduce simple activities to the babies. Some examples of activities include having the babies look at colorful scarves blowing in the wind, stacking cups and knocking them over, and looking at their reflection during tummy time.

Infants 2 is designed for children ages 12 months-18 months and is set up with young toddler furniture that helps the babies develop independence and allows them to explore freely and safely. This classroom features play areas including a dramatic play area, gross motor area, library/cozy area, block area, and general play area. The children in this class also follow their schedule from home, but our teachers do try and help them transition, when they are ready, to more of the daily school rhythm. The Infants 2 class follows the Experience Early Learning Toddler Curriculum, which includes 4 major topics each day-Art, Music/Movement, Math, Literacy. The children enjoy a group circle time in the morning followed by activities relating to their monthly theme. Primary caregivers are still assigned in this room allowing for that bond to grow between child, teacher, and family.

Diapers and wipes are included in the tuition price for both infant classes. Whole milk is also included for children in the infants 2 class. 

Toddler Program 

Our Toddler program has two separate classrooms which serve children ages 18 months-2.5 years old.

Toddlers 1 is designed for children ages 18 months-2 years old. This stage in development is a huge one for children as they are seeking more independence and are more curious about their environment and peers. This classroom is designed intentionally to allow children to explore and safely have access to all materials and toys available to them. Play and interest centers are rotated to reflect the interests of the children as well as the learning theme. Play areas include science, blocks, sensory, library/cozy area, dramatic play and gross motor. Children are encouraged to collaborate and work together on projects and learn how to play in both small groups and individually. The children enjoy a morning circle time where they sing songs, talk about their topic of the day, and review both sign language and simple Spanish phrases. Since language development is so strong at this age, our teachers encourage and use both English and Spanish language in the classroom.

Toddlers 2 is designed for children ages 2 years-2.5 years old. This classroom is designed similarly to Toddlers 1, but offers more advanced materials in the learning centers. Puzzles and books are more advanced as there is a wider variety of toys for the children to explore in each area. This is also the classroom where children can begin to explore toilet training, if developmentally ready. The children in this classroom, like Toddlers 1, have teachers who speak both English and Spanish, allowing them to hear both languages and pick up phrases from each. While English is the primary language used, sign language and Spanish is incorporated into their day and their environment in the form of displays, puzzles, and books. 

Both Toddler classes follow the Experience Early Learning Toddler Curriculum which incorporates different subjects into a theme. For example, if the theme is Ocean Life, then the science center will have shells to explore, they may count and do a math lesson using sand dollars and play with sand in the sensory area. When you walk into a classroom, you will immediately know the theme being learned about in that room! 

Toddlers enjoy plenty of outside time each day (a minimum of 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon) and primary caregivers are assigned just as they were in the infant rooms. All activities are logged on the Brightwheel app for parents to view throughout the day.

Preschool/Pre-K Program

Our Preschool and Pre-K classrooms serve children from 2.5-5 years old. We have 3 classrooms all designed for different age groups and different stages of learning and development.

Junior Preschool: This classroom is designed for children ages 2.5-3 years old. This is a time of great transition for children from our toddler class into a more structured and academic centered day. At this age, the children advance to the Experience Early Learning Preschool Curriculum and learn more deeply about their learning topics and traditional academics such as alphabet recognition, letter sounds, shapes, colors, and numbers. Children have time during the day to explore their learning and play centers and participate in both small group and large group activities. For example, math activities which require more teacher instruction are completed in small groups of 2 or 3 children whereas a color matching activity will be done as a large group. Children are encouraged to work together, and we introduce the Reggio inspired teaching of long-term projects in this class. Long term projects are completed quarterly (approximately) or may take a longer or shorter time to complete. Toilet training must be completed in this classroom as any child moving into Preschool need to be toilet trained. 

Preschool: This classroom is designed for children ages 3-4 years old. It has 7 learning and play centers including dramatic play, science, sensory, library, writing, blocks, and manipulatives. In addition to following the Experience Early Learning Preschool Curriculum, the Handwriting without Tears curriculum is introduced in this class. All children receive a handwriting workbook at the beginning of the year which is completed according to the curriculum each week. Children learn alphabet recognition as well as the handwriting strokes to begin to write the letters of the alphabet and numbers 1-5. Children entering this class in September must be toilet trained and 3 years old by October 1 of that year. 

Pre-K: Our Pre-K class is a child's last stop before kindergarten! The classroom is set up similarly to the Preschool classroom featuring between 7-8 learning and play centers. During this year, children will review their previously acquired knowledge of the alphabet and phonics and begin to turn that knowledge into recognizing and forming words. This class uses the Experience Early Learning Preschool Curriculum which includes many social and geographic aspects and continue with the more advanced version of Handwriting without Tears. Math is incorporated into every center and teachers use numbers during the teaching of all subjects.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are set up twice a year in January and May to track and discuss children's development and progress with families. All families have the opportunity to set up additional conferences with their child's teacher throughout the year as well, if desired. 

Extra-Curricular Activities

Dance - ICA has partnered with a local dance studio to bring dance classes directly to our school. Children ages 2.5-5 are eligible to enroll in a variety of different dance classes that take place once a week during the morning. There are recitals during the year as well so the parents can see the progression of the children in the dance class. 
Dance class is a separate fee and registration process completed directly through the studio.

Art - ICA has a designated Atelier-a French word which means (workshop/art room) where the children are able to work on special projects and have art lessons separate from the regular curriculum crafts. We use this space to work on long term projects, clay work, wire work, and anything else the children desire! They can use their time in the art room to paint, sculpt, color, and simply create! We invite families to visit our art room to see what the children have been working on!

Our Kindergarten class learned about Mae Jemison, the first African American astronaut, during Black History Month. For their long-term project, they created a rocket ship made completely of recycled materials including soda bottles, cardboard boxes, and milk jugs. 

Our Preschoolers learned about ocean animals and from the months of September-December, they created their own whale shark out of paper mâché for their long term project!