Infant care
Our infant room receives rave reviews. The two lead teachers in this room have a combined total of more than 30 years of experience. We accept eight babies, and these babies receive lots of attention and TLC! We know through research that infants need “tummy time” and lots of movement in order to connect synapses in the brain (believe it or not, the precursor to school readiness skills), and our babies are constantly moving. There’s no “hanging out” in the crib or the swing for endless hours here!
Our individualized lesson plans allow each infant to keep their own schedule. Our caregivers cuddle, rock, read, sing, and play with each infant in ways that support the independent exploration and discovery of the child’s environment.
Our baby house adheres to “primary caregiving”. Each teacher is a primary caregiver for four infants, allowing that teacher to form more permanent bonds with each child in their care. We’ve been told by national validators that our baby room “ROCKS”!, and we’re honored!
Toddler care
Our toddler room is very busy, as young children are active explorers. They are learning to walk, learning to talk, and take their cues from their environment. They are practicing and developing these skills as they interact with other curious toddlers and staff. Our lesson plans provide a rich mix of both quiet and active activities in a consistent routine. Circle time, center time, outside time, library, arts, music; all find their way into the toddler’s day. Lots of language and lots of love are freely given in our toddler program, and our staff plan activities to make the most of a toddler’s curiosity.
Twos
Many have heard that phrase “terrible twos”. Nothing is terrible about our twos!! Two year old children are learning to navigate language, understand feelings, and play with other children in appropriate ways. They want to be independent as they learn self-help and social skills! Our two year old teachers are made of patience and understanding, as they help two year old children learn about their world! Our lesson plans involve children in activities that focus on language, literacy, science, math and discovery and exploration, while helping children learn self-help and self-esteem skills that will last a life-time!
Threes
Our teachers in this room understand that three year old children need lots of movement and lots of language. Our curriculum leads children into rich discovery experiences, while teaching concepts that ready children for “Pre-K”. Our High Scope curriculum keeps lessons exciting, by utilizing the “hands-on”, active learning approach. Lesson plans encompass teacher facilitated and child-directed activities.
VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten)
Our pre-kindergarten programs are led by awe-inspiring teachers! (Read more on VPK requirements on our home page.) Magic Moments is very proud of our school readiness rates. (A school readiness score is an accountability and readiness tool given to kindergarten children during the first 30 days of school.) It is comprised of the ECHO (the early childhood observation system) and the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Both tools are progress monitoring assessments that reflect learning and development. The ECHO gives a reflection of development and ability in seven domains based upon national standards. The DIBELS measures initial sounds fluency, and letter naming fluency, and later in kindergarten, measures phoneme segmentation fluency and nonsense word fluency. For the 2006-2007 school year, our rate was 286. For the 2007-2008 year, our rate was 290. A perfect score is 300. We have several voluntary pre-kindergarten program options, so please call for a program that meets your family’s needs.
School Age Program
Our school age program provides transportation to and from seven of our local elementary schools, Cypress Ridge, Clermont, Grassy Lake, Groveland, Lost Lake, Minneola, and Pine Ridge Elementary. Our program provides snack, homework time, outside activities, learning centers, and computer time. We also have video games (educational and sports only) and game tables, at designated times. On Wednesday, when the elementary schools release school one hour early, we have a field trip day, heading to one of the local parks, or Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat! Our teachers understand the nature of school age children, who want to take in all that life has to offer! Our program breaks into three separate groups during the day (based upon age) so that activities reflect the interests of the children. We also offer a summer camp program that provides a full day of fun-filled activities. Our lesson plans focus on exciting weekly themes, with crafts, educational activities, swimming and field trips! (swimming available only during summer camp)