Infants

At Luca’s Rainbow II we provide a warm, intimate setting for your infant (starting at 2 months). Our infant room supports family relationships helping babies feel safe and secure. Our infant to teacher ratio allows us to provide for each child’s needs giving them the comfort and attention that he/she deserves. Continuity care is where it starts in the infant room, where our teachers will build a trusting relationship between the child and their family. Baby signs are taught in the infant room in order for our caregivers and infants to be able to communicate with one another. We also use Creative Curriculum to focus on routines and experiences for our older infants and toddler.

Toddlers

At Luca’s Rainbow, we love toddlers! We know that children aged 2 years old require a safe and nurturing environment to explore, learn, and grow. Our toddler care program offers them a perfect balance of nurturing, playing, and learning as well as an immersion in English or Spanish.

With low teacher-to-student ratio, and regular teacher-family communication, our program is a great place for your toddler. Contact us today to request more information or to reserve your child’s spot in our program.

Pre-School

At Luca’s Rainbow, we know the decision to select the right preschool for your child is especially important! You want a safe and nurturing environment, but also a place where your child can be challenged and prepared to develop their social and emotional skills. Knowing this, our teachers employ a blended learning approach paired with our bilingual immersion.

With low teacher-to-student ratio, and regular teacher-family communication, our program is a great place for your preschooler. Contact us today to request more information or to reserve your child’s spot in our program.

Pre-K

Our Pre-K program provides your child the proper Kindergarten readiness skills. While your child is in  our care we will provide the following: 

Early Literacy Skills 

From the moment a child is born, language and literacy provide an essential foundation for a child’s  success in school. We all know that literacy encompasses the skills required to read, write, and process  information. This skill in turn strengthens their communication skills allowing the child to interact with  the world around them. We will provide a language and print rich environment exposing your child to  reading and writing before they are able to do it on their own. Reading, talking, playing, and singing are  ways we help your child grow. 

 Phonemic Awareness- Picking up on sounds, syllables, and rhymes in the words through  exposure and repetition

 Awareness of Print- Understanding that written language has a direct relationship with spoken  language 

Vocabulary – Knowing the names of things is important when learning to read, most children  enter school with a 3,000-5,000 word vocabulary 

Narrative Skills- Comprehending and telling a story as well as describing things 

Early Math Skills 

Before starting Kindergarten, most children are naturally being exposed to math concepts through  everyday interactions. This is because math is everywhere! Our program provides hands on math  experiences using a variety of hands on exercises from counting silverware, cooking, telling time, doing  projects, and playing games. This foundation is an essential concept for the foundation for later learning.  

Shapes: Understanding size, shape, and patterns 

 Number Recognition and Basic Counting: verbally (first forward, then backward) How much?: Counting objects and identifying more and less of a quantity 

Same-Different: Understanding one-to-one correspondence (i.e., matching sets, or knowing  which group has four and which has five) 

STEAM Learning 

From the moment a child is born they are curious and ready to explore the world to learn how things  work. This is the essence of STEAM learning. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art  and Mathematics. 

S is for Science– Children are naturally scientists. They try to figure out how the world works by  engaging their five senses in the scientific method. The scientific method includes observing, forming  questions, making predictions, designing and carrying out experiments, and discussing the results of the  experiments. 

T is for Technology– Cell phones, computers, and tablets are the first things that we think of when we  hear technology. but the “T” for technology in STEAM also stands for any type of man-made tool or  object. Simple tools like ramps, pulleys, wheels, axles, levers, and scissors are also technologies. 

E is for Engineering– Children use the design process to deepen understanding of concepts using critical  thinking skills to solve problems or make things better. Students brainstorm and create solutions to  problems such as using consumables to create an umbrella that will protect a stuffed bear from the  rain. 

A is for Arts- Art in all forms whether it is created through humanities, language arts, dance, drama,  music, visual arts, design and new media is integral to developing students’ higher learning skills. When  children engage in painting, music, drawing, and playing pretend they are strengthening their mental  dexterity, increasing motor skills, enhancing visual learning, and boosting higher decision-making skills.  All of these are skills that can be applied to any subject!

M is for Math- Math is a tool children use everyday! Math is number and operations, measurement,  patterns, geometry and spatial sense. Everyday mathematics for preschoolers may include knowledge of  “more” and “less,” shapes, sizes, sequencing, volume, and distance. 

STEAM breaks down curriculum dimensions and provides opportunities for rich cross curricular learning.  For instance, a simple STEAM activity of building a block tower provides opportunities for observation,  questioning, prediction, exploring, and discussion the Scientific Method. 

Observation- “This tower is tall, but I want to make it taller!” 

 Questioning- “How high can I make this tower if I arrange the blocks differently?” 

Prediction- “If I put the big blocks at the bottom and the smaller square blocks at the top maybe  I can build it higher.” 

Exploring- “I will build a bunch of towers to see if my prediction is true.” 

Discussion- “What worked and what did not work when you tried out building tall towers?” Social Emotional Skills 

Social and emotional development is a child’s ability to have empathy and understand others, control  his or her own feelings and behaviors, get along with other children, and build secure relationships with  adults. In a nutshell, it involves the way one feels about themselves and others and the world. 

Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten classroom (age 5 and older) encourages children to intellectually examine events and objects around them by using their investigations to suggest, plan and implement activities such as using a project approach. Our Creative Curriculum & Montessori integration is used at this age to engage in meaningful extended conversations and discussions with peers and adults. Developing self-control, helping others to solve problems, gaining confidence in overcoming obstacles, and being proactive are focuses in our school-aged program.

Reading

Students in kindergarten are immersed in a text-rich environment to develop phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and an appreciation for reading. Students will learn to comprehend and think creatively as they relate stories through drama, retelling, drawing, and their

Own writing. Teachers will encourage the development of reading skills that are foundational to effective comprehension and critical thinking.

Writing

Students will begin to build a connection between oral and written language. Awareness that spoken language can be written and written language can be read is a fundamental concept in communicating ideas. Teachers will encourage the development of writing skills that are foundational to effective written communication and critical thinking.

Mathematics

Kindergarten mathematics places emphasis on developing the concept of number by counting, combining, sorting, and comparing sets of objects. Students will recognize, describe, and create patterns and recognize shapes and sizes of figures and objects. Students will investigate measurement through direct comparisons, collect data, and create graphs.

Science

The kindergarten standards emphasize the theme of “Using My Senses to Understand My World.”  Students use their senses to make observations of the characteristics and interactions of objects in their world. Topics include: the study the characteristics of water, the basic needs of living things, relationships between the sun and Earth through shadows and weather, changes in motion, scientific method and the design process.

Social Studies

The kindergarten social studies curriculum includes an introduction to interesting Americans in history whose lives demonstrated the virtues of patriotism, courage, and kindness. Students should learn basic concepts related to history, patriotism, national symbols, good citizenship, geographic location, economics, and the importance of following rules and respecting the rights and property of other people.

Upper School Age

Our upper school grade program (age 7-10) will continue utilizing the Creative Curriculum, Montessori, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). We will expand your child’s academic subject learning- reading, writing, math, spelling, science, and social studies. Your child will develop the ability to work independently and in small groups to accomplish common goals.

Language Arts

The daily schedule allows for students to do the following activities every day – read to themselves, listen to reading, read with someone, write and work with words. Leading literacy research shows that the greatest gains are made by classrooms which emphasize doing these things daily.

Our goal is for students to become fluent readers with excellent comprehension of what they have read.  Students read from a variety of text including poetry, songs, chants, non-fiction, picture books and chapter books. The teachers model fluent reading and work with students in small group and one-on one to develop reading skills.

Writing takes place in many different forms at this age. Students utilize the word wall to spell frequently used words correctly. They use invented spelling for unfamiliar words. Students may work independently during literacy time to write their own books while writing in a more structured writing process as well.

Math

Students will spend most of the math block working with conceptual math activities and using manipulatives. They will develop a math vocabulary and be asked to explain their reasoning. In addition, we will explore graphing, place value, telling time and counting money. We will spend a great deal of  time working with partners and in small groups to complete activities that furthers their understanding  of numbers and real life concepts involving math.

Science

We are scientists! They will learn to explore the world around them through the eyes of a scientist. We study the scientific process and complete investigations and experiments. We look at seasonal changes and how they affect plants and animals. The science curriculum is designed to provide hands on opportunities for students to learn diverse concepts from the earth’s rotation to how things move.

Social Studies

The curriculum for social studies has three main components. Students learn about our country’s symbols and what it means to be a citizen. They will explore historical figures and look at their contributions to our society as a whole. Lastly, they explore economics through identifying needs and wants and looking at different forms of spending and saving money.