Thursday, 29 October 2015

Skills Your Child Should Muster Before Preschool


A strong preschool program strengthens the substratum of support for academic, social and emotional accomplishment of a child. Nurturing a child in his formative years, prepares him for an important transition i.e., starting a preschool.  All parents are often worried that their child might not be ready for preschool although choosing the right preschool will help quell that anxiety to a certain extent. This blog recapitulates and summarizes the ways to prepare your little one for preschool. These steps will help your child derive most out of the classroom teachings and activities. 



Stimulate Independence –


“It is important for parents to instill confidence and faith in their child’s capabilities of making appropriate choices and even if they fail, let them learn from their own mistakes.”


                           Educator, Williamsburg Northside Preschool

Encourage your child to learn the basic self-care skills like pouring water in a glass, opening lunch-box, washing hands, putting on jacket, cleaning his toys. Let him take responsibility and don’t forget to teach the safety rules!


  • Inculcate basic organization skills –

Teach your little one some basic organization skills like how to fold clothes, zip the school backpack, clean up the play area and ways to organize his room. You can always use some handy and colorful baskets and store like items together. Do not forget to pat the back once he completes his task.



  • Develop etiquette -
 Going to a preschool means your child will have to interact with other children and teachers. It is important for him to express and communicate his ideas, curiosities and needs to others.



 “Saying thank you, please and sorry, greeting others, using table manners are some of the basic social skills that parents should teach their child before starting preschool. It shows that your child respects his fellow mates and teachers.”

-Educator, Williamsburg Northside Preschool



Williamsburg Northside preschool is acclaimed for its carefully crafted early childhood program that fosters your child’s learning experience. Their classroom activities are inspired from curiosities, ideas and interests of a child so that they can explore and acknowledge the world around them. The Reggio Emilia approach is the cornerstone of the WNS program and values the individuality of every child.
 

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

Pre-Schooling the Right Way

Over the last 10 years, the face of education has changed dramatically. Talking about early childhood education, it is an investment for a community. Research studies by different universities show that early learning has a lasting and positive effect on the child.

Educators across United States are working hard to equip children with all the skills that would guide them to success in the 21st century world. Williamsburg Northside Preschool, in addition to inculcating within their students the flexibility to readily adopt to changing technologies, also fosters student-centered learning. The belief is to stimulate the learning environment that encourages critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, global awareness and social responsibility.



Good intentions are not good enough when it comes to implementing the right education program. Fortunately, Williamsburg Northside has maintained uniformity in their education programs that they provide across their daycare, preschool and lower schools. Still, they are always working on the ideas to improve their study programs. For the matter of fact, Williamsburg Northside Preschool program has showed gains in cognitive abilities, and social skills among their students.

Student centered learning is an important element of Williamsburg Northside preschool program. Rather than calling out one student at a time, educators here allow students to discuss class assignments in groups which maximizes their participation. During the class, students work just as hard as educators, in fact, this way educator’s role becomes that of a facilitator. This teaching practice promotes team building, leading to higher achievements.

Have you ever heard educators teaching multiple subject simultaneously, like math, science, social studies with reading or writing-all in one project? At Williamsburg Northside, the focus is not limited to the subject-based learning. The approach behind simultaneous learning is to help students go much deeper in learning concepts and skills. It includes –

Project-based learning – students working on a project that ends up with a concrete result of some kind.

Problem-based learning – educators guide students in developing solutions to real-world problems.

Inquiry-based learning – students generate their own questions matching their curiosities or interests, which as a part of their learning, they investigate.


The educators should not simply tell students what they should know, instead they should engage students in exploring and uncovering the information in a more meaningful way. In a way, in which all the subjects come into play together. 

Thursday, 27 August 2015

Enrolling my 3 year old in Williamsburg Northside Preschool



Enrolling a 3 year old in a preschool is tough. The kid will probably throw a huge tantrum, since they are not used to being separated from their parents. It is also hard for the parents themselves, who don’t want to entrust their kid to someone else’s care. 

As any parent would agree, handling a 3 year old is not an easy task. You cannot afford to lose sight of them for more than a minute. They move around a lot, and there is no telling what they might end up doing. This was one of the reasons why I was hesitant at first to register my son in a preschool. I did not trust anyone else to do a good job of looking after him. 

I signed up my 3 year old son yesterday, in Williamsburg Northside preschool. And like I mentioned above, it wasn’t an easy thing to do. I was worried that the teachers might not be able to take care of him like I do, or a thousand things that could go wrong, and I would not be there for him if they do. I did get good reviews about Williamsburg Northside from a neighbor. So I decided a few months ago that I would register my kid there. The education system has become very competitive over the years, and so I decided that my son should start his education early.

Williamsburg Northside’s curriculum was interesting enough, and I was satisfied with school itself. I paid them a visit a few days before I actually enrolled my kid, just to get a look into things, and hoping to get more information about the school from some of the teachers who work there. I think the best thing about the preschool is that it is very near to where we live, which was like a cherry on the cake for me.

Williamsburg Northside was not my first choice for a preschool, though after some thorough investigation, I think I have done a good thing by enrolling my son there.

Thursday, 6 August 2015

How Important Is Preschool For Your Tiny Tot?

Are you having second thoughts about sending your little kid to a preschool? Do you find your little one ‘too little’ to seek a formal education? If you find ‘today’ ‘too soon’ to send your kid to a structured preschool environment, then you should rethink it. Because a good preschool experience determines the holistic development of your kid.

Preschool has a myriad of advantages that assist children attain substantial milestones in their academic and social life. Several schools, such as Williamsburg Northside Preschools, offer an appropriate ambiance to foster a complete growth and development of the child. It would be incorrect to presume that your two or three year old child doesn’t possess the ability to acquire basic academic concepts. It has been scientifically stated that the vocabulary of children between 3 to 5 years of age grows from 900 to 2,500 words!

The Importance of a Preschool

  • ·        The first experience of your child

A preschool is the first structured social setting that your child encounters. Preschools like Williamsburg Northside help children follow instructions and motivate them to interact with their peers.


  • ·        Answers the child’s curiosity

Preschools promote the child’s natural curiosity and observational skills. Answering the child’s curiosity with engaging games and activities can cultivate a love of learning in the child.


  • ·        Promotes pre-academic skills


At preschools, pre-math and pre-literacy concepts are introduced to children through interesting activities and games. There are several games such as building blocks, one-to-one correspondence, sorting games, riddles and puzzles that help children learn the concepts of order, patterns and sequences.

Storytelling sessions, story narrations and singing sessions help develop expressive language, comprehension and listening skills in children.

  • ·        Enhances motor skills

Preschools help develop the child’s physical and mental coordination by encouraging physical activities and games that involve running, climbing, etc. This makes children more adept at handling themselves. Preschools enhance the child’s motor skills by means of various recreational activities such as modeling clay, paper-cutting with scissors, etc.



A Preschool serves as a child’s introduction to a classroom setting and helps them prepare for elementary education. An affect-based learning values the individuality of a child and helps them bloom to their utmost potential.

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Sending your kid to preschool: The best decision you could make

Sending your child to preschool is regarded as one of the smartest parenting decisions you can make. A high-quality preschool is not one that is aimed at churning out child prodigies who can recite the alphabet and perform math calculations by the age of 3. A good preschool lays emphasis on instilling social and communication skills as well as the abilities to control one’s impulses, modulate emotions and manage behavior.

When selecting a preschool for your child, it is essential that you try to get a keen insight into the ideologies that underlie the daily schedule at the preschool. For instance, Williamsburg Northside Preschool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is an acclaimed NYC preschool with a characteristic approach to elementary education. The preschool has adopted the Reggio Emilia approach to education that is based on viewing each child as a strong, capable individual replete with unlimited potential to grow and develop.

There are several benefits that a good preschool can impart to your child.



Benefits of sending your child to a good preschool
  •  Social skills


A preschool offers a safe social setting for your child that can be conducive to the development of social skills. Your child can learn to relish the joy of socializing, develop a sense of respect and empathy for others and learn to resolve conflicts.







  • Behaviour Management 


Children learn to focus their attention upon the teacher and follow directions. Doing what needs to be done according to the daily schedule builds concentration and impulse control in the child. Waiting for their turn, raising their hand to speak and sharing resources help a child learn how to be a student.



  •   Pre-academic skills



Preschools instill pre-academic skills in children through play way methods. Story-telling sessions enrich a child’s vocabulary as well as listening skills and comprehension. Children also develop fine-motor skills during art activities by handling scissors, painting and modeling clay. These fine-motor skills are useful when the child is required to put pen to paper in kindergarten and beyond.


Attending preschool introduces your child to the joy of learning and camaraderie. You should evaluate different preschool programs to find the one most feasible for your child. A program that encourages independent thinking and exploration, such as the one at Williamsburg Northside Preschool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, would help develop a love for learning and the ability to think critically, in your child.