Summary
A quality preschool experience creates the foundation for future academic, social, and emotional growth. Strelitz International Academy combines early childhood education best practices with the internationally recognized IB approach to help children become confident, curious, and engaged learners. Through its IB Early Years Program, SIA supports every stage of preschool development while preparing students for continued success.
What Makes SIA One of the Best Preschool Programs in Virginia Beach?
If you are looking for the best preschool program in Virginia Beach, Strelitz International Academy (SIA) provides a nurturing and academically focused environment designed to support your child’s early development. Through its IB Early Years Program, SIA helps young learners build social, emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, mathematical, scientific, and physical skills while preparing them for future academic success.
Understanding what makes a preschool program effective can help parents make an informed decision about their child’s early education journey.
Parents often wonder what should my child learn in preschool and how the right environment can support their child’s development. An excellent educational program is one of the ways you can do that. Learning and development begin from the moment we are born. In order to ensure your child develops properly, a quality preschool program can help. Strelitz International Academy is one of the best affordable private schools in Virginia Beach. We offer preschool classes that are dedicated to ensuring your child’s successful development and transition into elementary school.
How Does SIA’s IB Early Years Program Support Child Development?
While preschool development areas are important for every child, Strelitz International Academy applies these principles through its IB Early Years Program, creating a learning environment focused on curiosity, exploration, and meaningful connections.
Through inquiry-based learning, SIA students develop social and emotional confidence by collaborating with classmates, build cognitive skills through exploration and problem-solving, strengthen language and literacy through communication and storytelling, develop mathematical and scientific thinking through hands-on discovery, and improve physical skills through movement, play, and creative activities.
SIA’s approach helps children see themselves as capable learners while building the foundation they need for success in elementary school and beyond.
How Does Preschool Support Learning and Development?
It has long been determined that the early years of childhood development are essential for the long-term success of the child. According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child (2007), early experiences create a foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health. A strong foundation in the early years increases the probability of positive outcomes.
Outside of the home, preschool and early education programs have the largest impact on the child’s overall development. According to The Society for Research in Child Development (2013), higher-quality preschool programs can create stronger developmental outcomes for children during preschool and beyond. Overall, there are numerous studies that demonstrate the positive impact a high-quality preschool (such as Strelitz’s IB PYP School Program) can have on your child’s overall development and success.
What Should My Child Learn in Preschool?
A best preschool program focuses on more than academics by supporting social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. At the age of 3 and 4, your child is at an important stage of development. In order to ensure they are offered a high-quality preschool program, it is important to understand what they should be learning. In general, your child should be developing socially and emotionally, cognitively, academically, and physically. These key areas of development are essential for their long-term success. With these factors properly developed, your child can continue to be successful. The many preschool students who graduate from Strelitz International Academy go on to be successful in our IB elementary school program.
How Does Preschool Support Social and Emotional Development?
The social/emotional development of your preschooler refers to their ability to have meaningful interactions with others and form relationships with their peers and adults. To encourage their social/emotional development, teacher/student interactions are essential. A well-trained teacher will be able to engage with each of their students, ensuring they feel respected, listened to, comforted, and appreciated.
These interactions with teachers and peers allow them to be able to recognize facial expressions, regulate their emotions, understand social interactions, and develop necessary social skills. In the classroom, this will look like participating in group activities, following directions, communicating their needs, learning to share, and more.
What to Look For:
– Teachers interacting with students on their level
– Children feeling comfortable with teachers (hugging, hand-holding, etc.)
– Teachers responding to the emotions of children (expressing understanding of their anger/sadness)
– Teachers helping children solve disagreements (sharing toys)
How Does Preschool Encourage Cognitive Development?
Cognitive development in your preschooler takes the form of learning how to play pretend, remember information, solve problems, ask questions, and impulse control. In the classroom, this takes the form of providing new and interesting toys/objects to explore, asking children questions, and encouraging playtime and imaginative thinking.
What to Look For:
– Blocks
– Age-appropriate books (counting numbers, learning shapes, animals, etc.)
– Dress-up/costumes
– Play areas (kitchen, dolls, cars)
– Art supplies (paints, play-doh, puzzles)
How Does Preschool Encourage Cognitive Development?
Language and literacy development refers to the child’s ability to communicate effectively through language and to understand other forms of communication. This can include reading, writing, talking, and listening. In preschool, this may include learning letters, understanding emotions, and listening to stories.
What to Look For:
– Age-appropriate books (counting numbers, learning shapes, animals, etc.)
– Teachers reading stories to children
– Children learning songs
– Pointing to letters/words while reading to the child
– Providing materials that encourage children to write/draw
How Do Preschool Programs Develop Mathematical and Scientific Thinking?
Mathematical and scientific reasoning skills refer to a child’s reasoning skills, spatial awareness, discovery skills, and exploration skills. In preschool, this can include introducing new ideas and topics to children, encouraging them to ask questions, counting/clapping to the beat of a song, and providing them with materials to measure or count with.
What to Look For:
– Playing with blocks and counting
– Puzzles
– Activities outside the classroom (Pond, School Garden, Playground)
– New topics of learning (watching caterpillars turn into butterflies)
– Setting out materials for children to explore
How Does Preschool Support Physical Development?
Finally, physical development is another key area that children are developing in. This includes a range of skills that refer to a child’s ability to move their bodies, including gross motor skills and fine motor skills. In preschool, the development of gross motor skills includes providing children with time to run, jump, skip, roll, crawl, and climb. The development of fine motor skills includes offering children opportunities to draw, paint, cut with scissors, and grasp small objects.
What to Look For:
– Art supplies (paint, pencils, crayons)
– Outside time with a playground or toys
What Makes SIA One of the Best Preschool Programs in Virginia Beach?
SIA’s IB Early Years Program provides an inquiry-based learning experience designed around each child’s developmental needs. Finding a preschool that provides your child with all the tools they need for development can be difficult. However, it is important to try and find the best solution for your child as it can be crucial to their overall success as a student and an adult. Strelitz International Academy is an IB PYP school in Virginia Beach. We offer a preschool program that focuses on providing your child with an environment that allows them to properly develop. Our preschoolers have access to a wide variety of toys, materials, and activities that encourage their social/emotional, cognitive, academic, and physical development.
Key Takeaways
- Choosing the right preschool program helps children develop the foundational skills they need for lifelong learning and success.
- Parents often ask, “What should my child learn in preschool?” A strong early education program should support social-emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, mathematical, scientific, and physical development.
- Strelitz International Academy’s IB Early Years Program uses inquiry-based learning, hands-on experiences, and meaningful interactions to support the whole child.
- Families should consider factors such as teacher support, learning environment, curriculum approach, and preschool enrollment age requirements when selecting a preschool.
- SIA provides a supportive transition from preschool into its IB elementary school program.
Interested in learning more about the daily life of a Strelitz preschool student and how our IB Early Years Program supports early development? Schedule a tour today and discover why SIA is recognized as one of the best preschool programs in Virginia Beach.
