Dear Early Childhood Families:

Welcome to AIS!  My name is Luis Carrillo, and I am the principal of our Early Childhood Program. I have been an educator for over 18 years with a teaching certificate with a specialization in Learning Disabilities, a bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology, and a master's degree in Applied Neuropsychology. This background underpins my approach to teaching and leadership, as pedagogy and psychology should be embedded in every classroom; happy children are happy learners.  

Our Early Childhood educators prepare the best learning environment for our youngest learners. They monitor their growth through age-appropriate assessment tools. Our top priority is to provide each student with a full opportunity to succeed in school, and for all students to be richly prepared as they progress in our community. 
  
We have put together the strongest possible teaching team, which is our program’s greatest strength. We plan our activities using the Creative Curriculum as our base. Every activity is engaging, hands-on, and intentional. 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 answering inquiry questions during large group sessions and cooking in our kitchen as an intentional teaching experience. In the Kindergarten world, you will see our word scientists playing with letters, names, and sounds to develop their reading and writing identities. 

We ensure 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. We invite parents to lead group activities throughout the year 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 daily!

Sincerely, 
Luis Carrillo

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.
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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:
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​- 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 [email protected] for more information

Apply Now