Our Philosophy

We are a play based, child led, developmental preschool in Snoqualmie. We believe that children are capable of long-term, sustained learning when the topic is of interest to them. We believe that children learn best through play, and offer a thoughtfully designed, child-led curriculum that helps to develop skills in math, science, language, literacy, the arts, and creative thinking and problem solving.

WHAT CAN THE LITTLE STARS PRESCHOOL PROGRAM DO FOR YOUR CHILD?

 

  • Vision: Our vision is to nurture the curiosity in children to help them grow into compassionate independent thinkers who feel a sense of connectedness to their community.
  • Mission: Using the natural inquisitiveness and interests of each child, our aim is to create a classroom environment to support their development, growth and preparedness for kindergarten and beyond. Student creativity, curiosity and collaboration is at the core of each day at Little Stars Preschool. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of educational opportunities that encourage self-expression, communication, logical thinking, and problem solving.
  • Classroom Environment: We see the environment of our classrooms as the “third teacher” and have therefore thoughtfully designed our rooms with this in mind. We believe that children learn from spaces they are in – they need beautiful, orderly spaces where everything has a purpose and can inspire a love of learning. The space is designed to allow for individual exploration, collaboration and the ability to work in small groups.
  • Social Emotional: Much of the language used in our developmental preschool classes will be consistent with language used in schools throughout the Snoqualmie Valley, so students are ready to hit the ground running in Kindergarten. Topics addressed in small group settings and throughout self-directed play, will include:
    • Identifying and labeling emotions
    • Regulating emotions and behaviors
    • Establishing positive relationships
    • Participating cooperatively and constructively in group situations
  • Language and Literacy: Students will be exposed to a variety of written and oral language expressions. Each day, we will experience different story books, poetry, and songs. Students will be encouraged to use communication skills to express their thoughts and needs throughout their discovery and also related to text read in class. Using a multi-sensory approach, students will be encouraged to practice writing skills and write their name. In addition, students will be exposed daily to the alphabet and develop a phonological awareness.
  • Mathematics and Science: Students will be invited to rotating math and science centers that foster concepts such as counting, shapes and colors, spatial understanding, numeral recognition, natural world/science observations, open ended experimentation and question-based models.
  • Cognitive: We support the broad range of cognitive levels in our students by providing engaging multi-sensory experiences that work toward the following benchmarks:
    • Thinking symbolically
    • Attending and engaging with prolonged focus in a variety of areas
    • Persisting through challenges
    • Labeling, recognizing and recall
    • Making connections between concepts and to real-world experiences.