The children work on daily writing, reading, phonics, and math activities catered to their individual needs. Each child works with a teacher, one-on-one on work that is specifically picked for them so that they feel challenged, and successful each day. They practice writing letters and numbers as well as hands on activities to teach letter sounds, reading, counting and adding. Each child goes to kindergarten well prepared for the year ahead with the confidence and enthusiasm to work hard and try new things! The children spend a good portion of their day at school playing and socializing. We have structured activities set up each day for the children to choose from, but they are free to explore and play with whatever they'd like. We encourage them to make independent decisions, be kind friends, work as a team, and clean up after themselves. The children at ACDS become amazing helpers to their teachers and friends and learn the value of being respectful and kind to those around them! We design our own curriculum based on classroom curiosity. We usually work on a theme for a week or two with a month-long unit in the Spring. We learn about a ‘letter of the week” each week and discuss our theme and letter at circle time each day along with reading stories and singing songs pertaining to our theme. We practice writing the letter of the week, learn about the letter sounds and we create an art project each day that corresponds with the curriculum. The children have a good balance of free play and structured learning time with endless opportunities to independently explore, create, experiment, and just have fun.