Our two and a half year old program is focused on learning through new experiences to develop a sense of independence and self-regulation. In our two and a half year old program, students will be encouraged to take part in activities which will include stories and finger plays, music and movement, dramatic play, art and manipulatives. This class is designed to help guide and encourage the toddler to make a happy and secure transition to our three-year old class. Each day’s activities are designed to foster language acquisition, cognitive development, motor skills (fine and gross,) visual perception, socialization, confidence and independence.

As any parent who works outside of the home already knows, works schedules may be longer than the usual school day. That is why we offer before and after care for our Turtle Creek Students. These extra hours give you the flexibility to get your child to a quality preschool program and still get to your job on time. Every once in a while, you might even have the time to run an errand before you arrive at school for pick-up! We provide before and after care for our students at an additional cost. Parents can drop off their children at 7:30 am and pick them up by 6:00 pm. Our Turtle Creek staff supervises the children during these hours. Many of our after-care students participate in our Fun Clubs but this is not required. To find out more about enrolling in our before or after care programs or any of our day care programs, you can call us or come to our Marlboro location and talk to one of our staff members.

Our three year old program addresses the social and emotional needs of the three year old. We provide a safe, stimulating and playful environment where children develop the behavioral and language skills to successfully interact with their classmates and teachers and the self esteem to confidently explore their world. The curriculum is focused on the development of readiness skills with a concentration on early language and literacy development as well as mathematical concepts of numbers, counting and shapes. Art and music are often utilized to develop gross and fine motor skills as well as academic concepts.

Our pre kindergarten program builds upon the social, emotional, motor, and academic skills acquired in our three-year-old program. The classroom continues to be structured to provide a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment where children participate in developmentally appropriate direct instruction in the readiness areas of math and reading. Various and inviting learning centers are created for a twofold purpose: for students to independently explore during self-selected time and for teachers to facilitate students’ acquisition of concepts, ideas, and problem solving skills in these well-defined and developed areas.

Our fun club, designed for 4-6 year olds, productively extends the school day. A different content area is offered every day: music, literature, math, science and art are some examples. We plan to continue to develop these clubs based on the interests of our students. Both our experienced Turtle Creek teachers and visiting instructors provide the instruction for this hands-on, fun extension of the school day. The clubs are held from 3:30-4:30 every day. They are available to students enrolled in Turtle Creek as well as students in the community. The group size is kept small in order to provide quality instruction. Children may participate in as many clubs that interest them. Call for a complete schedule of the different club offerings.

Our kindergarten curriculum provides many opportunities for students to develop their readiness skills until they are able to master concepts and understandings at their instructional level. Most of our students end the school year reading at least one or two years above grade level. This program is suited for students who would flourish in a private school setting with smaller class size and individual attention or for those students who miss their school’s cutoff date. Besides delivering engaging and robust math and reading programs, our kindergarten program offers more opportunities for creative and critical thinking. Teachers use students’ interests to plan units of studies, especially in the area of science, and then they create activities to expand on this understanding. Technology is used as a resource to broaden knowledge and to differentiate instruction especially in reading and math. STEAM activities are woven into the core curriculum. Logical thinking is taught through a variety of activities, which help to develop problem- solving skills. Creative thinking is not just apparent in the arts but also developed through other content areas. Children not only play games but they create games. Brainstorming activities and idea generation help students to think outside of the box. All of these activities create habit of mind to help our students expand their thinking and to view themselves as creative and critical thinkers and resourceful learners. When students embrace this self-concept at a young age, they are assured of great success in their future academic pursuits.