Early Childhood (PS/PK)
Early Childhood Education
Our Program
Building Creative Compassionate Critical Thinkers
Young children are naturally curious about the world around them, and everything we do within the Woodland Early Childhood Program helps foster each child’s innate inquisitiveness. Project based learning, grounded by a deep appreciation for child centered emergent curriculum, guides our philosophical approach to instruction. Our talented team of experienced educators deepen each child’s sense of wonder, as students engage in rich, meaningful, and relevant units of study. Over the course of 6 to 8 weeks, our preschoolers become experts in exciting topics through the use of authentic materials, intentional read alouds, and contextualized learning experiences. Every child is a unique individual, and our robust curriculum supports kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and tactile learners, built upon a developmentally appropriate framework. Through these learning experiences, we hope prepare a generation of children to become creative, compassionate critical thinkers in today’s ever changing world.
VALUING OUR FAMILIES
We understand that, for many children, their time in the Woodland Early Childhood Program is their first opportunity to join a school family, and we strive to make the experience both joyful and memorable. We strongly believe the importance of positive authentic relationships and partner closely with our families to successfully support the needs of each child in our care.
THE BEST EDUCATION. SUPPORTED BY THE BEST TECHNOLOGY.
Throughout the day, our children participate in a variety of thoughtfully curated experiences, each constructed to support their social emotional, physical, literacy, language, cognitive, and mathematical development. Our educators leverage Teaching Strategies GOLD®, an early childhood digital portfolio system, to collect observations of student work and intentionally scaffold learning opportunities. Daily small group instruction allows teachers and children to connect through purposefully differentiated activities. As children work in Interest Areas, they engage in hands on intentional play, intentionally constructed to prepare every learner for the rigor of kindergarten.
REFINING LITERACY SKILLS THROUGH ENGAGING READ ALOUDS
Each day, our children enjoy two thoughtfully planned readings of great early childhood literature. Classics, age-appropriate non-fiction, and award winning stories are shared, once in the morning and later in the afternoon. Throughout each interactive reading, new vocabulary is intentionally introduced and thought provoking questions are posed.
Our Curriculum
At Woodland School, we strive to support the “whole child,” and we invite you to discover our end of year benchmarks, which include social emotional, physical, language, cognition, literacy, and mathematics outcomes. Objectives for each area of learning and development are listed in bold; corresponding end of year outcomes are located below each objective. Preschool and prekindergarten learning outcomes are adapted from Teaching Strategies GOLD® Objectives for Development & Learning, Birth Through Third Grade.
Preschool
Social Emotional
Regulates own emotions and behaviors
- Is able to look at a situation differently or delay gratification
- Manages classroom rules, routines, and transitions with occasional reminders
- Demonstrates confidence in meeting own needs
Establishes and sustains positive relationships
- Manages separations without distress and engages with trusted adults
- Demonstrates concern about the feelings of others
- Uses successful strategies for entering groups
- Plays with one or two preferred playmates
Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations
- Takes turns
- Suggests solutions to social problems
Physical
Demonstrates traveling skills
- Moves purposefully from place to place with control
Demonstrates balancing skills
- Sustains balance during simple movement experiences
Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
- Manipulates balls or similar objects with flexible body movements
Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination
- Uses refined wrist and finger movements
- Holds drawing and writing tools by using a three-point finger grip but may hold the instrument too close to one end
Language
Listens to and understands increasingly complex language
- Responds appropriately to specific vocabulary and simple statements, questions, and stories
- Follows directions of two or more steps that relate to familiar objects and experiences
Uses language to express thoughts and needs
- Describes and tells the use of many familiar items
- Is understood by most people; may mispronounce new, long, or unusual words
- Uses complete, four- to six-word sentences
- Tells stories about other times and places that have a logical order and that include major details
Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills
- Engages in conversations of at least three exchanges
- Uses acceptable language and basic social rules while communicating with others; may need reminders
Cognition
Demonstrates positive approaches to learning
- Sustains interest in working on a task, especially when adults offer suggestions, questions, and comments
- Practices an activity many times until successful
- Solves problems without having to try every possibility
- Shows eagerness to learn about a variety of topics and ideas
- Begins to change plans if a better idea is thought of or proposed
Remembers and connects experiences
- Tells about experiences in order, provides details, and evaluates the experience; recalls three or four items removed from view
- Draws on everyday experiences and applies this knowledge to a similar situation
Uses classification skills
- Places objects in two or more groups based on differences in a single characteristic, e.g., color, size, or shape
Uses symbols and images to represent something not present
- Draws or constructs, and then identifies what it is
- Acts out familiar or imaginary scenarios; may use props to stand for something else
Literacy
Demonstrates phonological awareness, phonics skills, and word recognition
- Fills in the missing rhyming word; generates rhyming words spontaneously
- Sings songs and recites rhymes and refrains with repeating initial sounds
- Shows awareness of separate words in sentences
- Shows understanding that a specific sequence of letters represents a spoken word
Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
- Recognizes as many as 10 letters, especially those in own name
- Identifies the sounds of a few letters
Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
- Orients book correctly; turns pages from the front of the book to the back; recognizes familiar books by their covers
- Shows understanding that text is meaningful and can be read
Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
- Asks and answers questions about the text; refers to pictures
- Pretends to read a familiar book, treating each page as a separate unit; names and describes what is on each page, using pictures as cues
- Retells familiar stories and recounts details from a nonfiction text using pictures or props as prompts
Demonstrates writing skills
- Writes letter strings
- Uses drawing, dictation, and letter strings to convey a message
Mathematics
Uses number concepts and operations
- Verbally counts to 10; counts up to five objects accurately, using one number name for each object
- Recognizes and names the number of items in a small set (up to five) instantly; combines and separates up to five objects and describes the parts
- Identifies numerals to 5 by name and connects each to counted objects
Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes
- Follows simple directions related to proximity (beside, between, next to)
- Identifies a few basic shapes (circle, square, triangle)
Compares and measures
- Compares and orders a small set of objects as appropriate according to size, length, weight, area, or volume
- Knows usual sequence of basic daily events
- Knows a few ordinal numbers
Demonstrates knowledge of patterns
- Copies simple repeating patterns
Prekindergarten
Social Emotional
Regulates own emotions and behaviors
- Is able to look at a situation differently or delay gratification
- Manages classroom rules, routines, and transitions with occasional reminders
- Takes responsibility for own well-being
Establishes and sustains positive relationships
- Begins to engage with trusted adults as resources to share mutual interests
- Identifies basic emotional reactions of others and their causes accurately
- Initiates, joins in, and sustains positive interactions with a small group of two to three children
- Establishes a special friendship with one child, but the friendship might only last a short while
Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations
- Initiates the sharing of materials in the classroom and outdoors
- Begins to resolve problems through basic negotiation and compromise
Physical
Demonstrates traveling skills
- Coordinates increasingly complex movements in play and games
Demonstrates balancing skills
- Begins to sustain balance during complex movement experiences
Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
- Manipulates balls or similar objects with a full range of motion
Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination
- Begins to use small, precise finger and hand movements
- Begins to use three-point finger grip and efficient hand placement when writing and drawing
Language
Listens to and understands increasingly complex language
- Begins to respond appropriately to complex statements, questions, vocabulary, and stories, asking questions when needed; offers opposites for frequently occurring verbs and adjectives; understands the difference between similar action verbs
- Begins to follow detailed, instructional, multistep directions
Uses language to express thoughts and needs
- Describes and tells the use of many familiar items
- Is understood by most people; may mispronounce new, long, or unusual words
- Begins to use long, complex sentences and follow most grammatical rules; uses common verbs and nouns (including plural nouns)
- Tells stories about other times and places that have a logical order and that include major details
Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills
- Begins to engage in complex, lengthy conversations of five or more exchanges
- Begins to use acceptable language and basic social rules during communication with others
Cognition
Demonstrates positive approaches to learning
- Sustains work on age appropriate, interesting tasks; can ignore most distractions and interruptions
- Plans and pursues a variety of appropriately challenging tasks
- Solves problems without having to try every possibility
- Shows eagerness to learn about a variety of topics and ideas
- Begins to change plans if a better idea is thought of or proposed
Remembers and connects experiences
- Tells about experiences in order, provides details, and evaluates the experience; recalls three or four items removed from view
- Draws on everyday experiences and applies this knowledge to a similar situation
Uses classification skills
- Groups objects by one characteristic; then regroups them using a different characteristic and indicates the reason
Uses symbols and images to represent something not present
- Plans and then uses drawings, constructions, movements, and dramatizations to represent ideas
- Interacts with two or more children during pretend play, assigning and/or assuming roles and discussing actions; sustains play scenario for up to 10 minutes
Literacy
Demonstrates phonological awareness, phonics skills, and word recognition
- Decides whether two words rhyme
- Shows awareness that some words begin the same way
- Shows awareness of separate syllables in words
- Shows understanding that a specific sequence of letters represents a spoken word
Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
- Recognizes as many as 10 letters, especially those in own name
- Begins to produce the correct sounds for a 10-20 letters
Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
- Knows some features of a book (e.g. title, author, illustrator, front and back covers); connects specific books to authors
- Indicates where to start reading and the direction to follow
Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
- Asks and answers questions about the text; refers to pictures
- Begins to pretend to read, reciting language that closely matches the text on each page and uses reading-like intonation
- Retells familiar stories and recounts details from a nonfiction text using pictures or props as prompts
Demonstrates writing skills
- Writes partially accurate first name
- Uses drawing, dictation, and early invented spelling to convey a message
Mathematics
Uses number concepts and operations
- Verbally counts to 20; counts 10-20 objects accurately; knows the last number and states how many in all; tells what number (1-10) comes next in order by counting
- Makes sets of 6-10 objects and then describes the parts; identifies which part has more, less, or the same (equal); counts all or counts on to find out how many
- Identifies numerals to 10 by name and connects each to counted objects
Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes
- Begins to use and respond appropriately to positional words indicating location, direction, and distance
- Describes basic two- and three- dimensional shapes by using own words; recognizes basic shapes when they are presented in a new orientation
Compares and measures
- Uses multiples of the same unit to measure; uses numbers to compare; knows the purpose of standard measuring tools
- Relates time to daily routines and schedule
- Begins to create and read simple graphs; uses simple comparisons and ordinal terms to describe findings
Demonstrates knowledge of patterns
- Extends and creates simple repeating patterns
Our Daily Schedule
OUR DAILY SCHEDULE
8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Arrival
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. - Limited Interest Areas
8:50 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. - Morning Meeting and Gross Motor Activities
Students will be introduced to meaningful study related content as they practice communication skills to express thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - First Storybook Reading
Storybook readings engage children in literature and concepts of print as they make predictions, recall events, and learn new vocabulary.
9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Specials: Spanish, Music, Physical Education, Science
10:20 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. - Snack
10:40 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Outdoor Play
Children have the opportunity to participate in intentionally planned free and cooperative play activities.
11:20 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Interest Areas
Center time fosters study exploration through concrete, hands-on experiences in over 8 learning centers.
12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch
Lunch is held at the student's pace. They are welcome to enjoy conversation with friends at the table or head to their nap mat when they have finished eating.
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Rest Time
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Snack/Gross Motor Activities
2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. - Limited Interest Areas/Small Group/Outdoor Play
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Second Storybook Reading/Afternoon Circle/Dismissal
Storybook readings engage children in literature and concepts of print as they make predictions, recall events, and learn new vocabulary. After story time, students will reflect on the day prior to departure.
Our daily schedule is flexible to allow for a strong child centered curriculum.
Our Classrooms
World Class Learning Environments
Our beautiful early childhood classrooms are structured to offer children spaces where they can work independently, in small groups, and in larger groups of peers. Art, Blocks, Toys and Games, Sand and Water, Dramatic Play, Library, and Discovery learning areas are available daily and are intentionally prepared with provocations to invoke a sense of wonder. Cooking experiences are also offered twice a month. The learning continues outdoors, with a selection of tricycles, scooters, painting materials, and blocks. You might also find our children engaged in exploration at our beautiful water play center or tending to plants in our child- cultivated garden.
Our Team
Danielle Allison
Teacher
Danielle enters her second year at Woodland, bringing 12 years of early childhood teaching to our Early Childhood Education Program. She is dedicated to creating an environment that fosters confidence, creativity, and love for learning. She cares deeply about meeting the unique needs of each child and family through a high-quality educational experience. Danielle joins Woodland after inspiring students in Apple’s Early Childhood Program in partnership with Bright Horizons. She has also worked at Life Connections Children’s Learning Center. Danielle is super creative and loves to create art, especially paintings. She enjoys spending time outdoors, and is a transplant from the Twain Harte/Sonora area. She has been in the Bay for 5 years now and is excited to be part of Woodland!
What inspired you to become a teacher?
I grew up in a large family and as one of the oldest out of my siblings naturally became a caregiver to my siblings and later with other families through babysitting and nannying. As an adult I pursued an education to reflect that. It brings me so much joy to encourage children's unique personalities and to experience them begin to blossom with confidence and wonder. The early years are some of their most vital years and I feel honored to be part of the beginnings.
Julie Berk
Teacher
A lifelong-teacher of music, Ms. Berk has educated children for 35 years. She is dedicated to enriching children of all ages and backgrounds, developing curriculum, and incorporating instruments, movement, drama and storytelling into her teaching approach to music. Ms. Berk has also directed the Joyful Noise choir for the past 17 years. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Certificate in Orff Schulwerk.
Jennifer Castillo
Teacher, Extended Day Staff
Jennifer brings several years of early childhood teaching experience to Woodland, most recently as a preschool teacher assistant at The Harker School. Jennifer’s focus is on students’ social emotional health and wellbeing. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development from San Jose State University.
Monica Goodrich
Director of Early Childhood Education
Monica brings 25 years experience as an early childhood educator to Woodland. She has served as both a teacher and center director, most recently at The Learning Center in Palo Alto and the Ladera Community Church Preschool. Monica holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Pacific Oaks College and her Early Childhood Education Units from Foothill College.
Gina Maestrini
Teacher
Gina Maestrini always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Throughout high school, she took on various nanny positions and had always knew she would pursue a career in teaching. Ms. Gina attended San Jose State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development. Ms. Gina is a Bay Area native who has a love for hiking, going to the beach, exploring new eating spots, and spending time with loved ones!
What Inspired You to Become a Teacher?
There are many joys that come with being an educator. I love supporting children’s personal, social, and academic development. I particularly enjoy reading with children. Reading helps stimulate children’s imagination and promotes bonding, which helps build a strong teacher/student relationship.
Bertha Patino
Teacher
Bertha Patino brings 14 years of experience working with children under the age of 5 to Woodland. She most recently served as a teacher at The Learning Center in Palo Alto and Little Acorn School in Mountain View. Her teaching is focused on play-based learning and emergent curriculum.
Savannah Straube
Teacher
Savannah brings both classroom and after school care experience to our Early Childhood program. She most recently taught at Windmill School in Portola Valley, Savannah is dedicated to creating a healthy and positive environment in which children can thrive. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from California State University, Chico.
Femke Truijen
Teacher
Femke brings five years of experience as a preschool teacher, most recently for the Palo Alto Community Child Care. Femke loves working with and nurturing young children. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Studies with a concentration in development from Sonoma State University.