INFANT PROGRAM (3 - 11 MONTHS) - in Tribeca & West Village
Our infant program is designed to nurture the extremely competent and curious learners in the environment filled with gentle voices and loving arms. At the foundation of this approach is a desire to develop a strong relationship with children and their parents, meeting children’s needs, and providing opportunities to foster each child’s natural desire to discover through hands-on approach.
As we are dedicated to providing every child with personalized attention and to fostering each child’s individual schedule, we work in tandem with parents. We bridge home schedules with how the school day flows, with flexibility on nap times and eating times. With all of us working together, parent, teacher and child, an assortment of experiences are offered that encourage the desire to create even greater connections amongst each other through the use of expressive materials which vary depending on age and ability. For our youngest infants, this might be paint sealed in a bag for them to touch, squeeze and push. For a one year old, it might be a block of clay presented on the floor to explore with our whole bodies. These experiences are presented in the language of childhood: open-ended play.
The explorations provided are geared at encouraging a variety of developmentally appropriate learning opportunities supporting each child's social/emotional well being, development of their cognitive and reasoning skills as well as their language and fine/gross motor skills.
Our little ones enjoy the expertise of our music specialist weekly and are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).
“As first time parents, Buckle My Shoe has been a revelation. A place that not only stimulates and engages our son all day, but provides my wife and I with a peace of mind that no amount of money could purchase. We enrolled our son as a four-month-old and have watched him thrive every day since then. Not just when he comes home, but during the day as his teachers upload pictures of him doing science experiments, socializing with his classmates, and playing soccer. We are continually surprised and impressed by the activities and learning he participates in. And the level of communication between the staff and parents. The school has exceeded our expectations in every way. We cannot imagine having sent him anywhere else.” Johnathan Williamson
TODDLER PROGRAM (12 - 23 MONTHS) - in Tribeca & West Village
In a Reggio Emilia-inspired toddler program, developing strong relationships is the main focus. We use current research about what is important for children’s social-emotional health and academic development to provide a solid beginning for our students. With a strong foundation in trust, children thrive and bond. When we play, we uncover possibilities at our own pace, imagine, create, negotiate socially, build self-esteem, and learn to love learning.
Our toddler classrooms are bright and spacious, rich with lots of materials and equipment that develops the whole child. The most important goal we have for the children is to develop their receptive and expressive language skills, fine and gross motor skills, social/emotional skills and sensory skills. In addition to lots of time exploring and learning in the classroom centers, children are asked to begin to sit together for short morning meetings, which develops the ability to follow directions, an important readiness skill. Children are also learning how to play together in a socially appropriate way, practice impulse control, and use self-help skills such as washing hands, self-feeding and using the bathroom.
Toddlers enjoy the expertise of our music specialist weekly and are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).
TWO YEAR OLD PROGRAM (Tribeca & West Village)
Our two’s program is designed to foster a sense of community and positive social interactions in a small, home-like environment. Buckle My Shoe Preschool cultivates a community of empathy through a curriculum that puts focus on sharing, expressing how we feel, and giving children the language they need to succeed in daily interactions. Cultivating a strong ability to identify and empathize with feeling and emotion allows us to move from parallel play to playing with each other and developing close friendships.
Our small class sizes are perfect for allowing two year olds to bond with their educators and with each other through play, small and large group projects and varied specials and trips to common areas throughout each day.
We have daily activities planned that are based on cognitive development, math, science, sensory, literacy and social-emotional development. With support and encouragement from loving and compassionate educators, our two year olds become quite independent learners!
Examples include using materials like clay and homemade play dough to develop pre-writing skills and strengthen the muscles in our hands. Block play touches on spatial awareness, fractions, balance, stability, and gravity- to name a few. We continually test out new science experiments, such as mixing baking soda and vinegar, and hone our scientific theories and ability to predict. Many books are read each day, and children start pre-reading by retelling stories, recognizing characters and understanding basic sequencing. Pre-math is everywhere in our environment, from utilizing dominoes, counting how many friends are in school, to graphing as we take votes on various things throughout the week.
In our 2’s program, we are excited to participate in Tennis (Tribeca), Yoga (West Village) and Music specials on a weekly basis. Students are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).
THREE YEAR OLD PROGRAM (Tribeca & West Village)
In our three’s program, our young learners continue their journey towards independence and becoming critical thinkers, as a community. Children share their thoughts and ideas with each other, giving them the opportunity to be active participants in their learning.
Students have a strong sense of ownership in the classroom, which helps build their confidence to tackle challenges that may arise. They take responsibility for their classroom by having jobs that rotate weekly. We use the environment and materials to empower children to think deeply, take risks and work together.
We foster our children’s curiosity and wonder through provocations, all while focusing on math, literacy, science and social-emotional development. Teachers observe what children gravitate towards, and they ask more questions to facilitate children's development of their own theories and hypotheses.
In our 3’s program, we are excited to participate in Tennis (Tribeca), Yoga (West Village) and Music specials on a weekly basis. Students are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).
PRE-K PROGRAM (Tribeca & West Village)
Four year olds take care of their belongings, themselves, each other and their classroom.
Our Pre-K program offers a unique opportunity for young and enthusiastic learners. Focusing on the development of skills necessary for success in Kindergarten. Our students build strong foundational knowledge in literacy, mathematics, science, and communication, through play, exploration, and inquiry. Our Pre-Kindergarten program also supports the growth of our students as they begin to develop a heightened sense of the world around them, a desire to be Independent, a stronger ability to think critically, and the need for social interaction. We guide them to problem solve, resolve conflict and develop critical thinking skills and confidence through purposeful play and collaborative learning experiences. They are encouraged to be thoughtful and reflective about their ideas and work.
Our graduates are therefore prepared socially, emotionally and academically for the new challenges of Kindergarten and are admitted to the best private and public kindergarten programs as well-rounded members of their new community.
In our Pre-K program, we are excited to participate in Tennis (Tribeca), Yoga (West Village), Music and Chess specials on a weekly basis. Students are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).
SPANISH *all age groups*
It’s never too early to begin learning a language: it’s fun, it promotes healthy development, and the many cognitive and social benefits will last a lifetime. It has been proven by researchers that children who learn another language before age five use the same part of the brain to acquire that second language that they use to learn their mother tongue. Younger learners are also uninhibited by the fear of making mistakes, which is sometimes an obstacle for older beginners. The first three to five years of life are considered the best time for children to learn a second language and is as easy as acquiring knowledge in their first language (Vos, 2008). Children are bound to assimilate new sounds and new utterances indiscriminately at that time regardless of whether it is their mother tongue or another language.
The benefits of learning a second language in preschool are numerous and bound to positively impact children's present and future academic and professional lives. Second language acquisition is tightly linked to increased performance in areas of social and academic development such as verbal communication, mathematical development, and reasoning skills. It is also linked to increasing young children's cultural awareness and understanding of differences.
At Buckle My Shoe Preschool, we include Spanish in all aspects of our classrooms. In each group has native Spanish speaker educator who reads stories that children are familiar with, so that they are easy to understand and keep the children engaged. We often play Spanish language music and have a dedicated 20-minute circle time when students learn the new language including classroom (all items in the classrooms are labeled in both English and Spanish) and general vocabulary, sentences and songs related to the children’s interests and the class project work. By the time children begin their year in Pre-K, they have a strong Spanish foundation that includes everyday words and sentences.
