Pathway Connections

Pathway Connections has created a nature- and global-based curriculum inspired by the books of Brian McClure and both the Montessori and Play-Based learning philosophies. We currently offer programs for children between 6 weeks through 12 years of age. We recognize the interconnectedness of 5 key areas of development for every child and engage them through our unique programming. Our certified and degreed teachers will help guide your children in each of these areas, as they learn through play and gain greater independence through experience.

Pathway Programs

Infants - 6 weeks to 9 months
Twaddlers - 9 to 18 months
Toddlers - 18 to 24 months
Jr. Preschool - age 2
Preschool 1 - age 3
Preschool 2 - age 4
Pre-Kindergarten - age 5

After School & Summer Camp - ages 6 to 12

Language & Emergent Literacy

By reading books, dramatic play, music, finger plays, and felt board stories, teachers encourage language and vocabulary development. As children grow, they begin to recognize that marks on paper have meaning. From there, children begin to identify letters and are able to develop a natural interest in understanding their corresponding sounds and beginning to write.

Cognitive

At Pathway, we focus on developing age-appropriate and fun activities in order to encourage cognitive development. Children begin development through manipulating objects of varying size, shape, and color. As they grow older, they begin to grasp more abstract concepts, including color, size, sequence, and comparisons. In addition to daily practice, teachers create activities to focus on monthly concepts for each age group, such as sorting leaves by size and color.

Science

By manipulating objects in their environment, children explore their senses and become interested in the world around them. Eventually, they learn how to classify objects and develop an interest in nature. Teachers plan science activities and experiments, such as building birds' nests and sorting leaves, to encourage critical thinking, investigation, prediction, and environmental awareness. These experiments continue to provoke curiosity, experimentation, and hypothesis at all ages. We constantly place an emphasis on Earth-friendly awareness.

Social & Emotional

We encourage children to develop self-regulation and soothing skills; we help them to understand their feelings and how to be comfortable with independent and social play. In social play, teachers encourage self-calming techniques, problem solving, and conflict resolution. As they master these skills, children will be allowed more opportunities to be independent as we continue to help them to understand others' feelings and solve their own conflicts. Our goal is the cultivation of children who are able to share, compromise, and empathize, while also being unafraid of independence.

Physical & Self-Help

As growing children gain more muscle control, they will be encouraged to push toys, stack blocks, and walk without assistance. By holding markers they begin to use their fine motor skills and gaining more confidence, they will run, jump, and climb. At Pathway, we not only have a variety of games on our playground, we also have stumps and logs to explore and climb.

Self-help skills foster pride as children develop a sense of accomplishment from everything they are encouraged to achieve. Successfully completing toilet training, learning to serve themselves correct portions at lunch, taking care of their own backpack, watering the garden, gaining control of their own motor skills, and being allowed to explore their own environment with confidence and dexterity are all part of positive growth and development at Pathway.