Our Curriculum
Calgary International Pre-School’s (CIPS) curriculum is a unique combination of the Canadian “Alberta Early Childhood” curriculum and various eco-friendly curriculums that will be collectively known hereinafter as the Green Start curriculum. Our Green Start curriculum has been specially developed and designed to reflect both our commitment to the environment and to ensure children receive quality educational experiences and teaching. The Green Start curriculum is enhanced and endorsed by the Preschools’ Board of Education General Director, who holds a PhD in Environmental Science and supplements the curriculum with extensive knowledge and experience in this field.
CIPS’s Green Start curriculum reflects our commitment to the environment via our daily activities and discussions with our preschoolers and teachers. Every aspect of the child’s experience at CIPS, from classrooms to circle time and play, reflects the child-directed and teacher-guided activities. It is simple to incorporate it into all subject areas, from Early Literacy and Early Numeracy to Creative Expression, to ensure children are exposed to these unique ideas in a variety of forms. The curriculum incorporates science fair projects that are related to environmental issues. In addition, children will learn the importance of preserving our natural resources, protecting the world around us, and helping our community. Every child will be equipped to make a difference in the world after gaining knowledge in energy efficiency, recycling, gardening and composting, sustainable materials, transportation, and indoor air quality matter.
Curriculum Overview
- Type of curriculum: Green Start Canadian
- Typical daily schedule: See an example of a typical daily schedule here.
- Naps offered: If required
- Summer sessions offered: Yes
- School calendar most closely followed: Supreme Council of Education, Qatar
Developing fine motor skills with one of our many fine motor activities we practice at CIPS. Children flourish under the individual attention we offer.
To implement this one-of-a-kind curriculum, Green Start focuses on the following seven learning areas and expectations.
- Early Literacy
- Early Numeracy
- Citizenship and Identity
- Eco- Friendly Environment and Community Awareness
- Personal and Social Responsibility
- Physical Skills
- Creative Expression
Letting Babies be Babies (Two Months to One Year)
Our staff is dedicated to showing children in this program warmth, kindness and love by frequent cuddling and holding. The children will be exposed to constant verbal stimulation by naming objects and explaining actions. Activities involving exploring and discovering of floor toys, table toys, story reading, outdoor play, art, music, dramatic play and sports are carried out to allow children to learn and develop skills in the key areas of physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development.
Toddling Toddlers (One to Two Years)
In this program, toddlers will begin to vocalize their thoughts and feelings and will begin to develop relationships with each other. Our staff will encourage the toddlers to turn their ideas into words and phrases to better express themselves, to practice the value of sharing and cooperating through group play. Children at this stage will begin to develop friendships and gain confidence as they use their words and thoughts to interact with others.
Early Preschool: Our Shooting Stars (Two to Three Years)
Early preschoolers have an amazing amount of boundless energy, an innate sense of curiosity of the world around them and are actively working towards several self-help skills. To harness this energy and curiosity as well as build these skills, we will be introducing potty training, encouraging parallel play, promoting self-feeding with spoons and open cups. Our energetic teachers are eager to foster and support this need for independence while providing numerous opportunities for the children to make safe choices in a stimulating environment. In addition, our positive reinforcement, hugs, praise, kind words and simple rewards help make this journey to independence both encouraging and successful. As always, this growth and development will be promoted across all dimensions.
Pre-School Kindergarten Readiness (Three to Four Years)
Our “Pre-School Kindergarten Readiness” is full of wonder and children spend their time observing and exploring the world around them. They love to play with words and language. Preschool children are moving into cooperative play, therefore the classroom centers are designed for small groups of children to interact and refine their social skills. Fostering foundational skills to allow preschoolers to expand their horizons and seek out information by exploring new territory in a supportive secure environment is our number one goal. Our teachers understand that these Stars learn through repetition and provide a variety of hands-on learning activities that allow children to practice and master our curriculum goals.
At CIPS, we offer age appropriate educational programs for children from 2 to 47 months of age. Parents will have the choice between two, three or five day programs that run between 7:00am and 1:30pm to ensure their child’s unique, age-appropriate needs are met.
ECO-FRIENDLY CURRICULUM
The preschoolers (all ages) will enjoy and understand the meaning of respect, reducing and recycling. Preschoolers will practice how to separate various types of recyclables and how to eat healthily. Students will be able to distinguish which characteristics of the weather are associated with each season, which months fall under each season. In CIPS preschoolers will celebrate The Earth Day and World Environment Day. We will teach our kids how to make the world a better or more beautiful place.