Lakeland's Little 

Lakeland's Little Learners has provided an excellent preschool program since 1985, preparing 4 and 5 year olds to achieve to their highest potential in kindergarten. In joining with the Elkhorn Area School District to offer 4K, and expanding our preschool area, we have hired some great staff and we are very excited to be able to reach even more children in the Elkhorn area. 

 

A variety of national studies (including Reynolds, 2001; Schweinhart, 2002) show substantial benefits to low income children participating in quality prekindergarten programming. Studies in several states (including Moreau, 2002 and Gormley, 2005) also demonstrate that prekindergarten participation benefits children from all income levels. 

 

Children who have turned four on or before September 1st of that school year are eligible to enroll in the EASD four-year-old kindergarten program. Children must register through the School District. Enrollment packets are available at LLL or the District Office, which is located in the 1887 Building (3 North Jackson Street). Parents are allowed to choose which 4K program they would like their child to attend. The only caviat is that busing is only provided to and from LLL if your family lives in the Jackson Elementary School District. 

 

Learning through play is the foundation for early childhood education at Lakeland’s Little Learners.  This approach incorporates interest areas or learning centers along with small and large group instructional times.  The children are encouraged to explore, imagine, and discover.

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EASD and LLL utilize the Fountas & Pinnell Continuum to provide a literacy driven curriculum for 4K.  Our goal is to foster a love for reading through exposure and interaction with engaging, rich literature.  Through shared and interactive reading, children learn how print works and develop a strong early reading base.  With the teacher guiding students through texts, they are able to process texts that are more complex than their current abilities.  It gives the children a step up in the development of the reading process.

 

The 4K classrooms also use Dr. Heggerty’s “Phonemic Awareness” (also known as the Purple Book). Phonemic awareness is being able to hear and manipulate the sounds that make up words. Engaging in sound and word play provides students with an important foundation component in literacy instruction.

Handwriting Without Tears writing and math programs immerse students in hands on, multi-sensory learning activities as they work on their fine motor skills and mathematical understanding.

 

The newest addition to the 4K curriculum is Project Lead the Way.  PLTW taps into the students’ exploratory nature, encouraging them to manipulate the science and math materials to keep discovering, problem solving and collaborating with others.

 

Teachers provide a variety of strategies and intentionality in setting goals for each child and guiding them in their exciting journey of learning. These activities encourage children to get along with others and give them the skills they need for success in kindergarten, something local kindergarten teachers have always found in LLL students!

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The teachers provide a variety of strategies that guide each child at their own pace.  There will be many opportunities for families to become involved and the teaching staff and families will work together to support the student's development and learning.