OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM AT COLEGIO MENOR QUITO

The International Early Years Curriculum

Our Early Childhood Program encompasses the four grade levels of Playgroup, Pre-Kinder, Kinder, and 1st Grade. We provide lessons following the comprehensive and age-appropriate International Early Years Curriculum within a welcoming and friendly environment.

Immersed in English

Colegio Menor’s students’ first experiences are designed to immerse them early in English through day-to-day interactions with their teachers and classmates. As such, our Early Childhood Program enables our youngest students to acquire excellent bilingual skills and to speak English naturally. These memorable experiences help them have the confidence and skills they will use for their entire lives.

An Education Based on Values

We teach values as an essential component in the learning and development of every child. That’s why we have six pillars in our Character Counts program that we weave through all our lessons—whether our lessons include demonstrations, practical activities, or debates. Our pillars are responsibility, caring, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, and citizenship.

Our Model of Academics

Our team of specialists in Early Childhood education prepare every lesson to include rich language learning experiences, early literacy skills for reading and writing, math activities, sensory exploration, physical activities, discovery and science activities, creative expression, and opportunities to develop social skills and emotional values. 

To provide this range of experiences, we divide our classes into well-designed learning centers: blocks, manipulatives, reading, writing, sand and water tables, art, and dramatic play. With our teachers’ guidance, our program helps our young learners to develop independence, a sense of curiosity, a positive self-image, and natural motivation to learn about the world around us.

Experiences That Enrich Our Students

We promote a holistic approach to education—complementary to our liberal arts philosophy and offerings—at Colegio Menor Quito. The youngest members of our community in our Early Childhood program have a variety of classes, such as music, expressive movement, technology (using learning applications and software), weekly visits to the library, cooking, and sensory exploration.

Teachers and Staff

All employees are required to participate in approximately 30 hours of training, workshops, and professional development courses every year to maintain the high quality among our teaching staff. To use the best teaching practices in their classrooms, our teachers are always staying up to date with the latest tools and ideas in education and research.

Support Services

In Early Childhood, we know each child is a unique individual who matures and progresses at their own pace. As a result, each child’s rate of development varies from their peers. Some children require different types of support to reach milestones at age-appropriate stages, according to research on age-group parameters. For this reason, we offer social support and emotional guidance from a professional psychologist and a learning specialist.

Counseling

In Early Childhood, our Guidance Department pays particular attention to the development of our young students’ interpersonal skills, self-esteem, decision making, and mindfulness. At this level, the counselor or psychologist monitors and supports our young students in the acquisition of necessary social, emotional, learning, behavioral, and teamwork skills.

Learning Support

The main role of our Learning Specialist in Early Childhood is to address the areas of difficulty a child may have and to provide early intervention. Our Learning Specialist also provides extra support to children who require it. In some cases, children may require additional support from an off-site Learning Specialist to learn strategies to adapt to different learning styles or to overcome difficulties.

Our Community, School, and Parents 

To facilitate positive, healthy, and integral childhood development, we believe our program is only a part of the essential pieces necessary at Colegio Menor. As a result, we offer a range of opportunities to encourage parents and the school to work as a team, while also offering parents ongoing communication and the support necessary for collaboration. Also, we encourage our young learners to develop a sense of connectedness and belonging within the wider community.