Perform to Learn Principles

The outcome we seek for all of the children – our students – that graduate from our program is that they leave us with both a foundation upon which they can thrive in their educational futures, and with lasting impressions and memories of the time they have spent in our care. Recognizing the global society we live, work and compete in today, the Perform to Learn curriculum is designed, and is constantly updating and responding, to meet the change and challenges that face the new generation.

Children learn best through firsthand experience – Engagement. The P2L program provides structured “play with purpose” activity as well as individualized student choice-based “play centers”, including time with indoor and outdoor, toys, equipment, materials, and our signature Performing Arts Curriculum.

Providing a variety of play-based Engagement is vital in assisting the student to discover his or her own learning style, with emphasis on fun and exploration. While there are differing schools of thought on the specific value of play in early-childhood learning, there is long-standing agreement that play is an essential component of personal, social, and emotional development.

Perform to Learn offers every student the opportunity to play, and Engage, in small age-specific groups and in the larger student body, allowing each child the opportunity to share in a variety of peer/mentor exchanges.

In the course of our assessments, your student will be observed in all areas of Engagement – academic, social, personal. If an assessment indicates that a specific area of play would serve to guide them further in a given developmental area, our teaching staff will create a schedule for the student, crafted to accommodate the assessed need.

Our program model is anchored in individualized student learning plans, assessment and independence. In offering a safe and nurturing environment in which preschoolers can see themselves as unique individuals functioning within a social collaborative setting, P2L’s classroom rotation system provides the opportunity to develop the student’s connection with change – in surroundings (classrooms), plan and associated activity (stimulus) – and most importantly, to navigate and successfully interact with others (social intelligence) within a guided environment of change.

As students will be interacting/engaging with several disciplines throughout each day, in individual instruction/play with several different teachers and in larger group activities, connection to the program as a whole is integral to the P2L student “independence” model.

Mastery is the earned accomplishment that comes from engagement, connection and practice…press repeat!  Every time we give our children the opportunity to show and tell we are offering them access to the gift of Mastery.

But, in this case, the old adage “Practice Makes Perfect”, and the burden of perfection, is not something we seek to impose. Rather, P2L is based upon the recognition that Practice breeds Mastery, Mastery breeds Confidence, and Confidence breeds Leadership. So, we “Perform to Learn” and by that, “Learn to Lead”.

As previously stated, when our students graduate, the P2L program will have provided a foundation upon which they can thrive in their educational futures, and most importantly, they will have developed skills they can use and build upon to become the leader of their own lives – the first one to raise their hand to share – the student that is willing to peer teach/share with others – the one who will initiate with the teacher if they need extra help – the student who will try a new opportunity without fear they might not excel – the young learner who will recognize their interests and pursue their own path to further discovery.

In order to implement an individualized learning plan for your preschooler, P2L engages parents/caregivers so as to understand exactly what our staff should know about the student. The purpose is to provide the best of our environment to be able to create a safe space for the child, the student, to grow. We call this the Parent-Partner Assessment — (P-PA).

P2L’s cross curriculum methods address behavior, knowledge, and skills development and include traditional learning modalities such as problem solving, physical objects as teaching tools, language stimulation, eye hand coordination, and learning in context. Over the 4 years that a student is in the P2L preschool program, a connection will be made with the 58 Key Developmental Indicators (KDIs) comprising the internationally recognized High Scope Project principles.

Within this context, the P-PA serves as the daily guide for a collaborative perspective on each student’s overall growth and for progressing toward the desired goals created with our parent-partners. Creating a customized assessment with the parent/caregivers, allows P2L to offer professional support, both at school and at home, where appropriate, for the many challenges and increasing changes in learning that come with age and mastery in the move to elementary readiness.

Parent Partner Assessment Preview

Each school year the adjusted (to reflect students’ ages) curriculum, with corresponding themes and events, is presented at the P/PA meeting with student parents and teachers. On occasion we can offer additional services as requested.

Care Statement

P2L is committed to your child’s success and happiness.  We are mindful, in all of our interactions with the children that, as caregivers, we are teaching and at the same time caring for them.  Our school has been designed to provide a safe, healthy and stimulating environment for students to learn in freely while being protected and cared for by our teachers and staff.

Social Interaction Support

Preschool is often the first time a child experiences a social setting without the comfort of parent, family, friends or familiar faces.  P2L understands the challenges this transition can bring to everyone involved.  Our teachers and staff work directly with our families to create as comfortable a “change” as possible.  As students become grounded in the routines of school and familiar with their school mates, we encourage student interaction, socializing across age groups, cooperative play, and large group sharing.  Any time a parent/caregiver feels that the social setting has become or is becoming problematic, the issues will be addressed in collaboration between the family and our entire staff.

P2L staff and management are always available to set up a convenient time for us to meet with you in person or to have a discussion over the phone. Our commitment is to stay in touch through whatever form of contact works best for our busy student families’ and their schedules.

We maintain a daily presence on Facebook and Instagram highlighting the school activity and buzz!

For the school year 2016-17, P2L has instituted a new communication tool – Kinderlime. This is a cloud based site that all parents can access from their mobile phone for sign-in/sign-out, billing, and daily check -ins from your student’s teacher. To learn more…

P2L will periodically conduct surveys to assess how we are doing and how we can improve our program, our services, and our care.

Please send all general emails to info@performtolearn.com