The Conrad Academy Preschool

MISSION STATEMENT –  Our mission is to take advantage of the teachable moments that happen every day. Our goal is to foster the intellectual, creative, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical growth and development of our students and to inspire a lifelong commitment to learning, caring for one another and realizing the rewards of good morals. A loving school environment promotes cultural values and supports positive relationships between student, peers and staff in respectful interactions. Children learn by doing – moving from concrete, hands-on experiences to more abstract concept development that utilize their past experiences to create new ones.

Our priority is to provide a healthy balance of child-directed and teacher-guided activities and conversations, as well as time for children to work individually, in small groups and in large groups. We believe that a stable, safe, healthy, comfortable, and culturally relevant environment is crucial to a child’s growth. A play-based approach, rich in literacy and vocabulary building activities provides a classroom where children are encouraged to construct their own knowledge. We believe that our program reflects the needs and goals of children and families. We look forward to working closely with families which provide the support we need to collectively guide and raise our children.

Our Philosophy

We use a combination of philosophies regarding the development of children, including those of Lee Vygostky, a socialist who believed that children are a product of their environment which includes the adults in their lives. He believed that adults can help children build knowledge by “scaffolding” or helping them to the next level (Theory of Cognition 1978). We believe in the developmental stages of children as taught by Erik Erikson (1959). He believed that the adults in a child’s life greatly influenced the child as they passed through various developmental stages. We also believe that children need a relationship with God and we strive to show them unconditional love.

As a center, we take advantage of every teachable moment and turn them into concrete memories by involving their sensory systems; body, mind and spirit.

Age appropriate activities and centers stocked with toys to encourage your child to learn while playing. Colorful blocks, puzzles, props, stringing beads, counting bears and art supplies are used to build the skills and confidence your child needs to succeed. Television may be used for the last 30 minutes of the day or occasionally during the day for educational purposes only.

When your child is old enough to move from one class to the next, they will be slowly transitioned by allowing them to spend time with their new teacher and friends for a few days. Parents will be verbally notified. Older children turning four will normally move up at the beginning of the new school year in late August or early September.

In the event the director, or teacher becomes concerned that a child may be demonstrating delays in any of the developmental domains; language/literacy, math/cognitive, social/emotional or self expression/acceptance, a conference will be held between staff and parents. If further evaluation is needed, the center will contact our Early Intervention Specialist and work closely with the parents to create a plan (I.E.P) to help that child reach their developmental milestones.

Recent studies show that children that have a vocabulary of 1,500 words or more learn to read and write sooner and have a better school experience. Kindergarten students are expected understand 6,000-8,000 words in order to perform well in the classroom. We are dedicated to helping our students acquire those skills that will help them to be successful students for the rest of their school careers. (ELCOC. org)

 The Conrad Academy Preschool does not discriminate against children or adults, parent or staff member on the basis of sex, age, religion, national origin, color, race, martial status, physical or mental disabilities or veteran status.

We do not discriminate against children of varying abilities and will make accommodations for them to the best of our abilities and educational background. (A.D.A. 1990)

 Thank you for choosing THE CONRAD ACADEMY PRESCHOOL. The following information has been provided for you to answer any questions you may have about the center. We want to work together to ensure the education and care your child needs.

The Conrad Academy Preschool

2008 N. Goldenrod Road

Orlando, FL 32807

407-243-2211

Email: mbalaban@conradacademy.org