Class Descriptions: 2-Day Class
For children 2 years of age by September 1st
Tuesdays and Thursdays / 9:00-11:15 am
The 2-Day Program is meant to be the young child’s first independent experience at nursery school. The goals of the program are that each child learns that school is a safe, positive place and that learning is fun. We work on helping each child become independent from mom or dad, and we do this in such a way that is comfortable for both the parent and child. The philosophy is that each child will separate from the parent once he/she feels safe and has developed a connection with the teacher and/or other parents in the class. We work with each individual family to accomplish this goal.
We provide many sensory and discovery opportunities that are age appropriate to the development of the 2 year-old. It is all about the process, not the product. All activities are hands-on and exploratory, which support the cognitive development of young children.
During circle times, the focus is on interacting with stories, music and movement. We also learn rhymes and engage in “finger plays.” For some, it is their first time sitting in a circle and listening to others, so appropriate activities are planned to introduce the children to this skill.
Most importantly, the 2-Day Class is about social and emotional development. Becoming independent, building relationships with adults other than mom or dad, making choices, beginning relationships with other children and creating a foundation for a child’s attitude about school are all valuable learning experiences for the 2 year-old.
A Day in The Life of a 2 Day Family
In our 2 day class, with a class size of 12 children, we generally have approximately 3 working parents each day. Parents are expected to work one day per week. Once assigned a workday in the beginning of the year, parents will work on the same day each week.
There are approximately 7 stations, each focused on different educational areas. Working parents will be provided a schedule in which they will rotate to different work stations each week.
When you arrive on your assigned work-day, you will grab a work-card with detailed written instructions for your workstation including setup, activity time, cleanup, and other details. While working at the preschool, you will focus at your workstation on working with all of the children that decide to experience the activity that has been designed by the classroom teacher. This is your chance to enable the kids to explore, get messy, and learn in an environment that encourages experiential education. While you remain at your workstation, your child will make their own choices on which stations to visit and which activities to engage in. Depending on their interests, some days you may see your child a lot, and other days you might not see them at all!
Working at a co-op means you are ready to engage with children and contribute to the school. Our school’s only paid employees are the teachers and a bookkeeper, which means that everything you see and love about our school, from it’s cleanliness, to it’s beautiful gardens and well-organized indoor facilities, are done by the families at our school. When you join our school, you join our community of families, dedicated to creating an outstanding preschool environment for our children.
Sample 2-Day Class Schedule
9:00AM | Working and on-call parents should arrive and prepare for the day’s activities. The teacher will provide activities and supplies at each station and instructions to the working parents on what they will be doing with the children. |
9:05AM | Remaining families arrive, ready to start the day. |
9:10AM | Morning Hello Time. This is when we welcome the day with a hello song and introduce the day’s activities. |
9:25AM | Exploration and Activity Time. Parents will work at their assigned stations while the children explore freely, choosing for themselves which stations and activities they want to experience. |
10:40AM | Clean up Time. Children will work with the parents to help put away toys, and parents, according to their work-cards, will work to clean and sanitize the necessary areas. |
10:55AM | Circle Time |
11:10AM | Goodbye Time. Working parents complete their job card tasks, and everyone comes together to say farewell until the next class! |