Abbott Program

The following sections list and briefly describe the areas of development expected in quality preschool programs, as set forth by the Union City Board of Education and the New Jersey Department of Education:

Social and Emotional Development Expectations

• children will develop self-confidence and self-esteem (feeling good about themselves, their families)
• children will develop relationships with friends through play (cooperation, turn-taking, problem-solving)
• children will demonstrate affection and appropriate physical contact (sharing feelings, good touches, bad touches)
• children will demonstrate positive behavior (talk about conflicts, choose other activities, talk about feelings)
• children will develop resilience to stressful situations (singing songs, reading stories, and engaging in play activities that relieve stress)
• children will develop a beginning interest in self-help skills (dressing, feeding, and cleaning up after themselves)
• children will be able to express their feelings (talking or drawing about what they feel and think)
• children will develop age-appropriate social skills (cooperation, taking turns, negotiating, exploring)

Creative Arts Expectations

• children will develop an appreciation for music and visual self-expression (listening to music, dancing, drawing, painting)
• children will be able to express themselves through pretend play (dress-up play, puppets, storytelling)
• children will explore and use art materials (paper, glue, scissors, paint, buttons)

Health, Safety, Physical Education Expectations

• children will develop hygiene and nutritional skills (eating healthy foods, practice hand-washing and toileting skills)
• children will develop the ability to make decisions and choices during play (cooperation, helping others, sharing),
• children will identify potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities (understanding symbols, fire drills, 911)
• children will develop coordination, balance, and strength through gross motor/large muscle activities (jumping, hopping, skipping throwing, catching)
• children will develop coordination in fine motor/hand movement (cutting, lacing, completing puzzles, block play)

Language Arts Literacy Expectations

• children will take part in active listening activities (following directions, listening, retelling stories and rhymes, answering questions)
• children will take part in activities that provide opportunities to speak (asking questions, talking to others during play, retelling stories and events)
• children will take part in activities that promote emergent reading skills (pretend reading, talk about stories, letters, name)
• children will take part in activities that promote emergent writing skills (drawing, scribbling, using pencils, crayons, paper, markers, computers)
• children will have the chance to use other non-book materials (listening to recorded stories, computer programs, look for street signs)

Mathematics Expectations

• children will experience problem-solving through hands-on activities (matching and fitting items together, predict outcomes)
• children will talk about math using various materials (how something was built or arranged)
• children will relate math ideas to real-life situations (setting the table, counting fingers, play grocery store)
• children will explore numbers (counting objects)
• children will develop knowledge of space sense and geometric shapes (down, up, behind, matching and sorting items by shapes or colors)
• children will develop measurement concepts (hot/cold, long/short, heavy/light, simple estimation)

Science Expectations

• children will discover their five senses (learn about their ability to see, hear, touch, taste and smell)
• children will make simple predictions of experiments(give clues and make predictions, make observations)
• children will explore living things (learn about living and non-living things)
• children will experiment with solids and liquids (learn from activities with solids and liquids)
• children will explore magnets (learn about magnets)
• children will investigate the earth’s properties (learn about the weather and changes of the seasons)
• children will explore the solar systems and planets (learn about the moon, sun, and stars: difference between day and night)
• children will participate and understand the proper care of the environment (learn about recycling, caring for equipment and belongings)

Social Studies Expectations

• all children will develop self-awareness and interpersonal relationship skills (develop and enhance positive social skills, self- esteem, respect and responsibility)
• all children will develop an awareness of family and family traditions (learn about family members and their responsibilities; learn about traditions
• all children will develop community and career awareness (learn about community workers)
• all children develop an awareness of money and it’s uses
• all children will explore their own and other cultures (learn about different cultures)
• all children will develop an understanding of recycling, pollution, and conserving products in the environment (learn about recycling and reusing products)

World Languages Expectations

• all children will experience at least one language other than English (listen to stories, songs, poems, and rhymes in other languages)
• all children will participate in simple activities in other languages (learn simple greetings in another language)
• all children will participate in cultural activities and celebrations (participate in seasonal activities and celebrations)