Spokane Child Development Center | Spokane Day Care in Spokane Valley

Pathfinders 4 years – Kindergarten

The Pathfinder Room is our Pre-K classroom.  It is also the classroom that children attend when they are attending half-day kindergarten in East Valley School District.  The goal in our Pathfinder classroom is to promote the healthy growth of each child as he or she continues to grow as a preschooler and begin to prepare for kindergarten. Our teachers focus their daily activities on both individual growth and quality group experiences for the children with a fun, exciting, and hands on approach. Prekindergarten skills are incorporated into this classroom preparing each child to move on to the next level. Our preschool classroom is equipped with developmentally appropriate materials and equipment to enable the children to learn and grow.

The classroom is set up with interest centers, which include the following areas: art, dramatic play, blocks, fine-motor, library, listening center, sensory, writing, math, and science. Placement of equipment and materials is structured to encourage maximum independence for each child. Each center is designed to stimulate a child’s curiosity and contains activities to help the child practice new skills through play. The centers are set up to encourage language and social development.

The Pathfinder teachers have lesson- planning time weekly and plan a theme-based curriculum that meets the needs, interests, and abilities of the group as well as each individual child.

Language skills are primarily strengthened through play in the interest centers as children talk with each other and with their teachers.  A few short periods are set aside each day for group times. These experiences focus on listening and comprehension skills, and other pre reading skills. Teachers introduce children to new library books at story times, which are scheduled throughout the day. Children are also encouraged to “write” or dictate both individual stories and group created stories relating to the theme. Children are also given the opportunity to journal on a regular basis.

To enhance children’s physical development, large motor muscle play is available both morning and afternoon on our large, fenced playground.  Preschoolers also have many opportunities for music and movement in the classroom environment.
A nutritious breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack are provided.  Meals are served in a family style where the children and the staff sit together. Meal time also serves as a time for children to practice social and language skills through conversations with their peers and teachers.   Children are also learning to be independent as they are encouraged to serve themselves and to clean up after themselves too.