Starting in the summer of 2014, innovative program will extend learning through summer at no extra cost to families
Parents and educators know that learning is a 365-day experience and it is never too early to instill and cultivate the passion of continuous learning in young children. Ranney School has just announced a plan to extend the school year for its early learners in its newly renovated Early Childhood Education Center; a plan that includes free enrollment in a unique eight-week Interactive Adventures Summer Camp Program. This summer program, available at no additional cost to families, provides students entering Beginners and Pre-K in the fall of 2013 the opportunity to enrich their learning experiences during the summer of 2014 in the same safe and nurturing environment they will enjoy during the school year.
“Reading, writing and mathematics foster creative and confident expressions in a child’s emerging self-concept. Young children who are afforded opportunities for focused and enriched learning over the summer are ready to meet the challenges of the next school year with confidence and success; and that is especially true for our youngest children,” explained Kathleen Deeken, Director of Summer Study at Ranney School. “Balancing academic learning with
opportunities for building friendships over the summer provides the most comprehensive skill-set for our students.”
Greeted at the door each morning by a team of enthusiastic and talented teachers, students enter Ranney School’s Early Childhood Education Center excited to begin each day. A student-teacher ratio of 7:1 allows lasting
relationships to be formed, which educators know can lead to happiness and success in the classroom. At Ranney, being a student in the Early Childhood Education program means being known and valued, and starts the unique “Lifer” experience at Ranney—more than one third of recent graduating classes started their education as preschoolers at Ranney and continued at the school for 10 or more years until graduation. With a focus on developing a love for learning in each child, Ranney’s academic curriculum, coupled with an abundance of co-curricular offerings, provides students with a well-rounded education and nurturing environment that continues throughout their childhood. Early Childhood Director Stephanie Katzman said, “One of the most impressive components of our Early Childhood Education Program is the constant communication between teachers and parents. Parents are made to feel a part of our community from the moment
their child begins their educational career and feel comfortable reaching out when there is a question or concern.” She also explained that “the opportunity for our youngest students to remain on campus throughout the summer allows for consistency and routine which children thrive on. With options varying from our hands-on academic opportunities to our popular Summer Day Camp, our students will continue to be engaged, learn and have fun while remaining in a place where they feel most at home.”
In the Beginners program (serving students age 3) the curriculum builds upon students’ sense of self and independence, and fosters the development of reasoning skills and literacy skills. Reasoning skills are emphasized throughout the program as students learn to identify and compare shapes, colors, numbers and letters and begin to demonstrate the ability to count, measure, predict patterns and sequences and problem solve independently. Pre-reading skills are developed through a multisensory approach to learning in which letter recognition and early phonemic awareness are taught. Using technology, such as
iPads and Smartboards, as well as sensory activities, our littlest students are given exciting tools to explore, create and have fun while they learn. Built upon a respect for child development, the Beginners program promotes an
enthusiasm for learning.
In Pre-Kindergarten, children continue to build their self-confidence, independence and creativity by developing an understanding of community and the importance of their role and contributions within that community. The curriculum emphasizes early reading readiness skills and mathematical concepts and is centered on the development of four-year-old children. The curriculum supports appropriate socialization skills that include students taking responsibility for classroom leadership and routines and for their own contributions to the classroom community. Our educational philosophy is that one must “see it,” “feel it” and “live it” to truly understand and appreciate the purpose of a given topic. Our four-year-olds explore learning outside of the classroom where units
of study are extended to specialized areas that include music, library, gym, swim and science. The courses of study are integrated into thematic units to keep learning meaningful and fun.
As students emerge into the Kindergarten program, they enter with an appreciation that learning never stops. Combined with their experiences from Beginners and Pre-K and their summer learning adventures, our five-year-olds
come ready to surprise teachers as emerging readers and active participants in solving problems of the day and tackling math sentences and number facts. With two complete years of learning, our kindergarteners will enter the classroom with expressive language, able to articulate with precision and creativity their ideas from reading, sharing and observation. Appropriately, our five-year-old
students are ready to build upon their language skills and embrace World Language study in French, Spanish and Mandarin. They are inquisitive and search for meaning and answers in the science lab. In reading, they enjoy stories being read to them and begin to read words independently in “just-right” books, on Nooks, and iPads. Because kindergartners are proud participants in school life, music and art encourage students to express themselves proudly while afterschool programs welcome their participation in the arts, athletics and more academics of their choosing.
Finally, continuing the great adventure of learning and
relationship-building beyond the school year and through the summer is more critical to learning now than ever. The full-year plan ensures that the Ranney experience is comprehensive and offers a continuum of exploration for
Kindergarten readiness for young learners who are eager and enthusiastic about the world around them. “Ranney School’s academic and Day Camp summer programs
reflect best practices for skill building with consistency for learning and skill practice over time, a necessary component for emerging potential,” said Mrs. Deeken. A summer program focused on child-centered opportunities for “me-time” and group time with friends that is enriched with a balance of engaging “thinking” and “mind-stretching” lessons complements developmental markers for cognitive and social-emotional growth. Infusing 21st-century applications on iPads and Smartboards and combining fine- and gross-motor activities into dynamic lessons makes learning during the summer educational and
fun. Summer 2013 activities available for preschoolers at Ranney include: “Engineering Adventures: Building and Creating,” “Amazing Animal Architects,” “Young Authors Literary Series: Fun with Reading and Language” and “Musical Instruments on Parade,” to name a few. As parents and educators work to teach the whole child, Ranney looks to offer a complete school experience for each of its newest Panthers.
FOR MORE INFO:
To learn more about this program and to schedule a visit to the Early Childhood Education Center, please contact Ranney School’s Office of Admissions at 732.542.4777, ext. 1109. Find out more about summer offerings for students age 3 to grade 12 at www.ranneyschool.org/summerprograms
