Bright and cheerful classrooms contain a full range of play and learning opportunities. Art and craft projects are part of the work period along with puzzles, blocks and other floor toys, books, table manipulatives and games.  Weekly music, French and Spanish (3s and 4s Classes on Fridays) enrichment programs are offered, along with a nutritious snack each day.

Physical coordination and development are aided by active play on our well-equipped outdoor playground and in our rainy day “Big Room” during inclement weather. Each child develops at his/her own pace in small classes that allow for individual attention.

Age cut off for all classes is October 1st.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR 2024-2025 CLASS PROGRAM INFORMATION

Our Curriculum

AT HWCNS, our curriculum is a balance of social, emotional, academic and physical learning. The focus of this balance changes as the children progress through our 2, 3 and 4 year-old Programs. We also follow the Preschool Learning Without Tears Program and use their different age-appropriate, hands-on, fun tools and materials to teach the Handwriting and other academic elements of our curriculum. 

In the 2s class, children are learning important social skills, such as separating from a parent or caregiver for the first time and sharing toys with a friend. Emotional skills, such as walking in line and sitting in circle time are also being developed. We introduce pre-school academics, such as letter, number, shape and color recognition and simple counting. The Learning Without Tears materials support children with these skills and help them to develop the fine motor skills they will need to write in the future.

As children progress to the 3s class, the emphasis on the social skills increases. By this stage, children are interacting and talking much more with their peers and we are able to focus more on social skills, such as playing cooperatively, kindness and respect during their daily activities. The academic focus increases in the 3s also, with children developing their pencil grip and gaining more confidence in letter and number recognition. The LWT Program also supports the academic learning in the 3s class. The LWT Wooden Pieces are introduced to the children and they learn the concepts of ‘Big Line, Little Line, Big Curve and Little Curve', which helps them to recognize letter formation.

By the time the children reach the 4s class, whereas social and emotional skills are still very important (such as taking turns to speak in circle time), the focus on the academics increases, as we prepare the children for Kindergarten the following year. We also increase the use of the Learning Without Tears Pre-School Writing materials, such as the Stamp and See Screen, LWT Chalk Boards and the LWT pre-school workbook.

Additional Offerings

• Toddler & Me Program: Thursdays 9:15-10:30am: Click here to download further info and an application form
• Early Morning Drop Off (For All Children) : Monday-Friday: 8:30/8:45am - 9:00am  Children are dropped-off at either time and play in the classroom until the start of school
• Afternoon Enrichment: (For 3 and 4 year-olds) : Monday – Thursday: 1pm - 2:45pm

Special Educational Activities for 3s and 4s Classes Afternoon Enrichment include:

• Reading & Writing Readiness Afternoon Enrichment:
  Letters, letter sounds and rhyming games, alphabet hunts, upper and lower case matching and writing activities is the focus during the Reading and Writing Readiness Enrichment. Children are having fun without even knowing they are learning the very beginning basics of reading and writing. Children use their little fingers to create letters using a variety of methods, including our Learning Without Tears tools, shaving cream, play dough and wiki sticks, just to name a few. All lessons are hands on. There are different activities each week to enhance letter recognition and writing skills.
• Math & Science Afternoon Enrichment:
  Children learn all about the five senses, numbers and shapes, patterns, density, static electricity and chemical reactions on this fun afternoon during the Math and Science Enrichment. We perform experiments throughout the year and during our cooking unit we create delicious snacks and smoothies by measuring, pouring, counting, mixing and then eating our creations at the end.
• Ready, Set, Play for 3s Classes and Friendship Club for 4s Classes: 
  The Friendship Club and Ready, Set, Play Programs provide opportunities for children to develop social and emotional skills, working together through pretend play, games, and stories, focusing on kindness and collaboration with their peers.