In Case You Are Wondering…

• Class Name – Continuing in this age group classes are named by the students age as of Sept 1^st of the new school year. Your child will be in the Threes Class.
• Curriculum and Early Academics – Our teachers develop individual relationships with three-year-olds by providing care that is emotionally and socially responsive, attentive, consistent, comforting, supportive, and culturally sensitive. Class lesson plans encompassing five developmental domains are written weekly and shared along with current photos and daily activities on the class communication site, currently Shutterfly. Activities are individualized for each three-year-old’s progress. As Threes transition into more formal early academic skills we expand daily practices of the Rice University School Literacy Culture Project (SLC) for pre-reading instruction. Writing skills are structured from our own Get A Grip, SLDS handwriting guide using teaching strategies from Write Out of the Box, Handwriting Without Tears, and NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
• Student/teacher ratio – Please visit the program pages for a breakdown of student/teacher ratios by age group: Full-day Threes Here and Part-day Threes Here
• Class Schedule – Each Threes class follows a daily schedule for consistency. The schedule includes morning meeting, learning center time, circle time, small group and large group instructional activities, music and motor classes, outdoor classroom time, snack/lunch, and rest time.  Parents receive the schedule for their child’s class at the beginning of the school year.
• Outdoor Play – Threes classes transition to our Large Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom and are scheduled to play and learn outside every day.
• Ancillary Classes –Threes classes participate in Music and Motor Class once or twice a week with instructional specialists.
• Chapel Time – Threes participate in an age-appropriate joyous weekly worship service (not offered while under protective practice).
• SLDS School Bag – All children receive a SLDS school bag to carry items from home to school each day.
• Lunch and Snack – Students bring lunch and snack food in an insulated lunch kit with an ice pack to keep items cold. Any snacks served at school will be in individual containers.
• Rest Time – Daily naps are scheduled after lunch time. Individual nap mats selected for SLDS are purchased, used, and stored at school.  For comfort, a fitted crib sheet (pack-n-play size) or a king-size pillowcase can be used on the mat.  Parents may also send a blanket, or a comfort item if desired. Threes turning four sometimes begin to transition away from naps; a comfortable rest time is required with or without napping. After resting, non-nappers participate in quiet activities while classmates are sleeping.
• Potty Training – At SLDS we do not require children to be potty trained to enroll in the Threes Class. We believe that it is important for parents and teachers to work together for the success of each child. We have created a Potty Training Handbook which outlines the stages of interest, readiness, time to train, and success!
• Dress Code – Students do not wear uniforms and dress in simple clothing for active play and learning (elastic waistbands work well as the Threes are learning to dress and undress themselves particularly for potty training). Rubber-soled, close-toed shoes are best for the school day.

For more information about our full-day threes classes, please click HERE.

For more information about our part-day threes classes, please click HERE.