Early Reading and Early Writing

The Lincoln County R-III Early Childhood Education Center uses the Fundations® Pre-K curriculum to support students’ emerging understanding of the alphabetic principles of letter-sound associations and alphabetical order, and the written language skill of manuscript letter formation.  This is the same program your child will be using in Kindergarten so the transition will be easy and smooth for each student.

First Semester

The focus during the first semester will be on teaching the alphabetic principle of letter-sound correspondence with the whole class. Students will practice:

• Recognition of the alphabetical order of letters a-z
• Letter name, keyword, and sound for the 26 letters of the alphabet (letter-sound correspondence)
• Visual connection between the letter name, its sound, and its grapheme (or written representation)

Second Semester

Further development of letter-sound correspondence (alphabetic principle) will continue with the whole class, and letter formation skills will be introduced in small groups. Students will practice:

• Letter formation for lowercase letters
• Letter formation for uppercase letters
• Association of a sound with a letter that is written

This is the same program your child will be using in Kindergarten so the transition will be easy and smooth for him or her.

Early Math 

ECEC uses the Bridges Math program to teach early math skills.  The transition to Kindergarten will be seamless because this is the same math program the elementary school utilize.  

Bridges Pre-K includes nine units of instruction, one for each month of school. Each 20-session unit features problems, investigations, games, stories, experiments, and calendar activities related to an engaging seasonal theme. Children have fun learning math with apples in September, pumpkins and leaves in October, shapes in November, snowflakes in December, and so on. 

Through the year children count, sort, pattern, solve simple story problems, measure, and work with shapes in different contexts. Instruction increases in challenge level each month, and suggestions throughout each unit address the developmental variations common to any group of young children.

A Bridges Pre-K classroom features a combination of whole-group activities (Number Corner), small-group work (Problems & Investigations), and independent games and activities (Work Places). Daily sessions range from 15–20 minutes for a total of 1–2.5 hours of instruction per week.

Social Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning is the process of developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school and life success.  At ECEC, social-emotional learning occurs every day through the building of trusting relationships and through the intentional teaching happening in our classrooms.

Second Step curriculum is used in many of the classrooms which helps ECEC students to learn and practice vital skills for listening and paying attention, having empathy, managing emotions, building friendships, and solving problems with others.  The program includes weekly themes with daily short learning activities.  

School-wide classroom lessons focus on identifying and managing emotions, building empathy, and problem solving.   Small groups offer more intensive skills development to help build self-regulation and social-emotional competence.  In all areas of learning, teachers and staff use our Behavioral Regulation Program to help students learn how to manage their emotions and thoughts through the validation of feelings, positively stating limits, and teaching students strategies to help with self-regulation.