There is increasing recognition that the first few years of a child’s life are a particularly sensitive period in the process of development, laying a foundation in childhood and beyond for cognitive functioning; behavioral, social, and self-regulatory capacities; and physical health.

The Children’s Center of Stone Oak’s early childhood educational programs are designed to provide educational and social support for the children, the parents, and the family as a whole. The structured learning and social activities made available to your child at The Children’s Center can directly enhance your child’s ability to learn and grow both academically and socially.

The following information was taken from the article titled “Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education.” October 2013.

Early Skills matter; and preschool can help children build these skills.

The foundations of brain architecture, and subsequent lifelong developmental potential, are laid down in a child’s early years through a process that is exquisitely sensitive to external influence. Early experiences in the home, in other care settings, and in communities interact with genes to shape the developing nature and quality of the brain’s architecture. The growth and then environmentally based pruning of neuronal systems in the first years support a range of early skills, including cognitive (early language, literacy, math), social (theory of mind, empathy, prosocial), persistence, attention, and self-regulation and executive function skills (the voluntary control of attention and behavior). Later-skills – in schooling and employment — build cumulatively upon these early skills. Therefore investment in early learning and development is more efficient and can generate more benefits than costs relative to investment later in the life cycle.

From Acorn to Oak!

The Children’s Center of Stone Oak’s infant program focuses on the unique learning abilities of your child in a safe, attentive and nurturing environment. Our caregivers are trained on how to plan appropriate activities and how to use daily routines to bond with babies by providing cognitive stimulation through conversation, interaction and responsive relationships. Our Infant focuses on infants from 3 months to 12 months old.

Caregivers plan for each day individualizing activities, materials and schedules according to the routines of each child so that they may thrive in his or her developmental stage. Our caregivers encourage your child to learn by continuously exploring their environment which includes their emotional climate as well as their physical space. The Children’s Center believes that through these activities, relationships between children, caregivers and families will be enhanced and help to instill a life-long love of learning.

The Children’s Center complies with strict child care regulations which address everything from hand washing procedures and sanitation practices as well as following strict polices for administering medications and guidelines for safe sleeping. Observation and discussion among caregivers and families are documented on a daily basis providing a deeper understanding of each child’s developmental progress and sharing those special milestone moments of your child’s life.

Wonderful One’s….and Two’s  

The Children’s Center of Stone Oak Toddler program provides some of our youngest children with safe, healthy, developmentally appropriate care. Your child’s caregiver will work closely with families to ensure that your child’s individual needs are met while interacting with your child in a fun, positive, responsive and affectionate manner.

The Children’s Center of Stone Oak’s Toddler program gives your child daily opportunities to engage in a wide variety of activities carefully designed to help them achieve key developmental milestones. Our TEKS-based curriculum (Texas Essential Knowledge & Sills) will assist your child in building upon the skills they learned as infants as they begin to become more independent and start using their critical thinking strategies to help develop their problem solving skills. At The Children’s Center of Stone Oak, we believe these techniques will help play an important part in preparing them for Kindergarten and beyond.

As a part of every child’s exciting day, our learning centers will focus on activities such as creative art, music, movement, dramatic play, scientific exploration, math and literacy activities. The Children’s Center of Stone Oak believes that learning occurs when toddlers are presented with appropriate challenges and are free to explore and be creative in their environment.

With the support and encouragement of your child’s caregiver, The Children’s Center of Stone Oak strives to excite, invite, and encourage your child to meet their fullest potential.

….is pretty cool!

Preschool is a time when your child improves coordination, learns complex games, and begins to interact with others. Our preschool program focuses on developing the total child, while nurturing each individual child’s potential, building on past successes and acquired skills, and strengthening his or her cognitive skills (auditory processing, attention skills, comprehension, visual processing memory and problem solving).

Our preschool program incorporates our TEKS-based curriculum (Texas Essential Knowledge & Sills). This curriculum is designed to help develop essential readiness skills through play and investigation, promote best practices, and provide new language and social navigation skills.

In preschool, our childcare providers will build upon existing language skills as we introduce literature and work to develop alphabet skills, the ability to distinguish sounds in spoken words and beginning phonics. We hope that by acquiring these skills, your child will develop a lifelong love of reading.

Your preschooler will spend time in math and science, mastering skills through hands-on experiences. Our preschool classrooms and learning center rotations encourage students to explore new challenges at a pace that is at their comfort level. In math, children are introduced to numbers, as they learn to sort, group, and count. Our science centers allow your child to explore with textures, sights, and sounds and to learn to care for nature and all its creatures.

Art projects and music are a vital part of our preschool program allowing your child to express their creativity in many different ways as well as helping to build your child’s confidence and gain independence.

For physical development, our outdoor playground provides a challenging and creative assortment of activities to help students develop gross motor skill while having fun. Your child will refine coordination as he or she runs, jumps, climbs, throws, swings, and slides.

Ready . . . Willing . . . Able!

The Children’s Center of Stone Oak recognizes that preparing your child for the challenges that await them in Kindergarten is paramount at this vital stage in their life. Our Kinder Readiness program is designed using the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge & Sills) curriculum which is currently used by NEISD and NSISD.

Our Kinder Readiness program supports the belief that through effective teaching practices and opportunities for child discovery through play, a child’s intellectual and social development can grow significantly, both of which are critical to the future academic and social successes.

Our TEKS based curriculum will provide a challenging but achievable curriculum which will actively engage your child in thinking, reasoning, and communicating with others. The TEKS-based curriculum focuses on 11 different areas of social, emotional, and academic learning which includes the following: health education, language/communication, emergent literacy/reading, emergent literacy/writing, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts/music, physical development, technology and theater. The lessons and skills your child is going to learn will actively engage them in thinking, reasoning, and communication with others.

In language arts, your child’s curriculum will build upon their phonics skills, sharpen their handwriting, and begin the process of learning to read. In math, your child will build on their number recognition and value through grouping, sorting, and counting. Your child will also begin to learn addition and subtraction skills. Our science centers will allow your child to explore how things work through hands-on sensory lessons.
Physically, our caregivers will work with your child to refine overall coordination, emphasizing gross motor skills. Your child has the opportunity to run, jump, swing, slide, and bike in our large outdoor playground. These types of activities will help develop their gross motor skills in a fun and exciting environment.

The grand finale of your child’s time in our Kinder Readiness program is a cap and gown graduation ceremony. You will be amazed at how much your child has learned throughout their time with us at The Children’s Center of Stone Oak. We’re always so proud of our graduates and we know you will be too.

The Children’s Center of Stone Oak offers optional extracurricular activities selected for their value in encouraging your child’s creativity and athletic development. A variety of on-site activities are available to your child, including Spanish Lessons, Dance, Sports Activities, Gymnastics, and Swim lessons. Please inquire about these activities and their fees upon registration.

Dance by Move & Groove Innovative Dance Program

The Move & Groove Innovative Dance Program enables children 2 years and older to experience dance in a safe, fun and stimulating class within our facility. The Move & Groove faculty members are professional dancers with extensive backgrounds in teaching young children dance. Each teacher takes pride in sharing their knowledge and love of dance in a nurturing manner. The curriculum is taught through a foundation of basic dance technique, while promoting gross motor skills, rhythm, creativity and flexibility. Most importantly, the Move & Groove program strives to instill an improved self-confidence in each child.

Learn more about Move & Groove Innovative Dance Program at www.moveandgroovedance.com.

Soccer Shots is the leader in youth soccer development for children ages 2-8. Our nationally recognized program offers a high energy, fun, age-appropriate introduction to the wonderful game of soccer. Our innovative curriculum emphasizes both soccer skills and character development. Our goal is simple: to leave a lasting, positive impact on every child we serve. Join us and see why tens of thousands of children throughout North America have benefited from the Soccer Shots experience!

Learn more about Soccer Shots at www.soccershots.org

On-site Swim Lessons

During the summer months, The Children’s Center offers swimming lessons and open swim in our on-site pools. Your child will flourish in small group instruction, taught by a certified Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard. Upon completion of the 2 week swimming lesson course, parents will receive a report and certificate that tracked their child’s performance and progress. The Children’s Center believes the swimming program is an invaluable enrichment activity, providing you and your child with a level of confidence in and around water. Space is limited so please sign up today!

Learn more about our swimming program by contacting the office staff.