Dear Parents and Guardians:

Welcome to AIS!  My name is Monica de Dios and I am the principal of our Early Childhood Program. I am thrilled to bring my extensive background - spanning from Early Childhood to High School and including Montessori certification and degrees in Counseling with a specialization in Family and Childhood Trauma -  to my work in the Early Childhood Program each day.

At the Early Childhood Program, we are thrilled to  welcome our youngest learners to their home away from home. As educators, it is our responsibility to provide each student with an equal opportunity to succeed in school and to fully prepare them for being a part of our community moving forward.
  
Our exceptional teachers are what make our program unique. We plan our activities using the Creative Curriculum as our base. Every activity is fun, meaningful, and purposeful. If you visit our classrooms, you might see our Toddlers enjoying the wonderful world of bags or balls of all shapes and sizes. You could experience our Pre-kindergarteners planting seeds in the edible garden and cooking in our kitchen. You might see the kindergarteners enjoying a session of book exploration at the library - learning how to read and write in English and Spanish at the same time!

We make sure that all parents are part of their child's school life. Parents are welcome to chat with teachers at drop-off or dismissal, work as classroom volunteers and field trip chaperones, and join our Parent Teacher Organization. Throughout the year we invite parents to lead group activities where we share different cultures, traditions, music,  and delicious food! Our little ones love having their parents participate in their school life and look forward to attending school every day!

Sincerely, 
Monica de Dios.

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For many years, AIS families and teachers requested that we grow our programs to include younger children. Seeing our qualified Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers and curriculum in action gave us the trust and confidence that AIS could provide an excellent holistic biliterate education for students 2 years old and up. We decided to adopt the Creative Curriculum  that is based on seven basic tenants:

Each child is unique and can succeed. We know children are uniquely influenced by their prenatal environment, temperament, physiology and life experience, and that given the appropriate support, all can be successful learners.

Learning occurs within the context of relationships. Families, teachers, and other adults matter deeply in a young child’s life. Creating responsive and supportive interactions with adults is essential to their learning.

Families are children’s first and most important caregivers, teachers, and advocates. Respecting and supporting parents as the primary influence on their child’s education is paramount. It is their knowledge, skills, and cultural background that contribute to the child’s school readiness. 

Children learn best when they are emotionally and physically safe and secure. Providing nurturing, responsive, consistent care creates safe environments where children feel secure and valued so they can engage fully in learning.

Areas of development are integrated, and children learn many concepts and skills at the same time. Any single skill, behavior, or ability may involve multiple areas of development.

Teaching must be intentional and focused on how children learn and grow. Children are active, engaged, and eager learners. Good teaching practices build on these intrinsic strengths by providing developmentally-appropriate instruction and opportunities for exploration and meaningful play. 

Every child has diverse strengths rooted in their family’s culture, background, language, and beliefs. Responsive and respectful learning environments welcome children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Effective teaching practices and learning experiences build on the unique backgrounds and prior experiences of each child.

Please contact the Early Childhood Program Principal Mrs. Mónica de Dios at mdedios@antiguais.org if you want to learn more about our program. Letter and the program description available HERE.

Program Framework:
Research-Based: Each activity, lesson and unit is informed by developmentally appropriate expectations for learning and growth. 
Comprehensive: Our program covers the central domains of early learning, which are the skills children need to succeed in school and they. Our balanced program provides sufficient breadth and depth in each area.
Inclusive: Our approach is relevant for children from diverse linguistic, economic, and cultural backgrounds and for children with disabilities.
Manageable: Our work together is fun! It includes a reasonable number of domains, sub-domains, goals, and indicators that teachers can effectively implement and learners can meaningfully master.
Measurable: Our program allows us to reflect on observable skills, behaviors, and concepts.

ASSESSMENT.
​We use assessment tools based on developmentally appropriate milestones. The assessment model used in the ECP follows widely held expectations for children from Toddlers through Kindergarten and enables a whole-child approach to assessment. Color-coded progressions guide teachers toward selecting and adapting activities that support each child’s development and learning. Meaningful reports inform classroom practices and individualized instruction based on objectives that are closely aligned with our curriculum.

Curricular Scope and Areas of Development:

Expert early childhood teachers utilize the Creative Curriculum to bring learning to life for our youngest students.

This program opens our community to younger learners by offering a daily, in person educational experience focused on social and relational development, bilingual abilities and creativity in a nurturing and caring environment. 

AIS’s Early Childhood Education Program focuses on meeting the needs of each individual child while also introducing them to school life and developing the emotional and relational skills for healthy interactions with others. 

We use an integrated approach to learning which enables young minds to learn many things at the same time. All teaching is intentionally focused on what each child needs in order to learn and grow. Most importantly, at AIS, we foster a healthy learning environment which celebrates each individual’s family’s culture, background, language and beliefs.  

Our program includes:

• A safe, loving and healthy environment
• Research based approach to early learning rooted in the Creative Curriculum
• Elementary School Readiness
• Instruction in English and Spanish
• Successful social interactions, inside and outside of school​

​Apply today through the following link: https://forms.gle/bqgTKe1oxx2ePFfv6 or contact mdedios@antiguais.org for more information!

Apply Now