Early Childhood
Education Program
Community Preschool and Ministry of Oak Grove United Methodist
Early Childhood
Education Program
Community Preschool and Ministry of Oak Grove United Methodist
Registration Now Open - Apply Today!
We Know You Have a Choice
In your search for the right early childhood experience for your child, consider choosing Oak Grove Young Children’s School (YCS), which provides a warm family-centered experience based on respect for each child's individuality, respect for family styles and structures, and support of individual parenting styles.
Specific program goals provide:
Our Philosophy
Since 1959, the Oak Grove Young Children's School has been an outreach ministry of OGUMC, striving to offer the community a high-quality early childhood education program steeped in love and care for all children. By creating a nurturing environment where each child is valued for who they are, we can provide support to families in parenting's important task.
“The essence of our effort to see that every child has a chance must be to assure each an equal opportunity, not to become equal, but to become different – to realize whatever unique potential of body, mind and spirit he or she possesses.”
John Fischer
Curriculum
The Oak Grove Young Children’s School uses the Creative Curriculum by Teaching Strategies, Inc. as a curriculum guideline for all ages. Lesson plans are based on seasonal themes, socialization activities, and age-appropriate skill development. Each day begins with defined lesson plan goals which “emerge” in response to the children’s curiosity and interests.
Other curriculum resources include
At YCS, learn through play is child-centered and self-initiated. Classroom environments are planned to promote discovery. Lesson plans and learning activities grow from observation of the children’s interests and assessing each child’s skills and needs.
Children learn best when they can interact with their environment. Multisensory opportunities are available for seeing, touching, tasting, building, creating, exploring, and self-expressing. The teachers’ primary role is to set the stage by offering experiences that stimulate their senses and curiosities. Our curriculum promotes language development, gross and fine motor skills, social skills, phonemic awareness, hands-on math and science skills, problem-solving, and character development to prepare children for Kindergarten.
Our goal is to partner with parents in supporting the developmentally appropriate growth of the whole child.
Our program emphasizes the socialization skills of young children and uses a discovery-based approach to learning. Recognizing that children grow and develop at different rates, a broad range of developmentally appropriate learning experiences is provided daily.
The YCS curriculum is designed to foster the growth of the whole child – physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual. Allowing the interests of children to drive the curriculum creates a rich and meaningful learning experience. Children need affirming relationships to grow in self-confidence, curiosity, and the capacity to cooperate with others. The Oak Grove Young Children’s School is a Christian environment of kindness and encouragement, helping each child become aware of God’s love personally and grow in understanding Christian principles. Together with caring and creative teachers, each child is encouraged to discover their God-given gifts, personality, and talents while exploring the world we live in.