At Leonardo, we believe in nurturing the minds but also the hearts of your little ones 💛. Our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program, integrated into our Montessori-inspired Pre-K curriculum, creates a safe and nurturing environment for our students. As caring parents, we know you understand the importance of providing your children with a holistic preschool education. Social and emotional skills are essential for their overall development and future success. So let’s explore how our little ones learn to understand and manage emotions, cultivate caring relationships, and resolve conflicts with empathy and respect.
Expertise in Positive Discipline
At Leonardo, our team of teachers is committed to utilizing positive discipline strategies that promote a supportive and respectful learning environment. They have attended a comprehensive course on Positive Discipline and received coaching from a certified professional in this field. This training equips them with the knowledge and skills to guide children in developing self-discipline, problem-solving abilities, and healthy emotional regulation.
With this expertise, our teachers create an atmosphere where children learn to navigate challenges, express their emotions constructively, and develop a strong sense of responsibility. Positive Discipline encourages cooperation, effective communication, and mutual respect among our little learners, fostering a harmonious and inclusive preschool experience.
Learning Through Play
In our preschool, we believe that learning should be an exciting adventure filled with joy and discovery. Our Social and Emotional Learning program is seamlessly woven into engaging and interactive activities, allowing our children to develop social and emotional skills naturally through play. Some examples include:
- Emotion Recognition: Through storytelling, role-playing, and puppetry, our little ones learn to identify and express their emotions, fostering self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
- Cooperative Games: Engaging in team-building activities and collaborative play helps them develop essential interpersonal skills such as communication, cooperation, and problem-solving.
- Conflict Resolution: We provide opportunities for our children to practice resolving conflicts peacefully by encouraging active listening, perspective-taking, and finding mutually agreeable solutions.
Cultivating Caring Relationships
Building positive and caring relationships is at the heart of our preschool program. Here’s how we foster this essential skill:
- Responsive Educators: Our team of dedicated teachers serves as role models, providing a nurturing and supportive environment where our children feel safe to express themselves and build trusting relationships.
- Peer Interaction: Through group activities, projects, and free play, our little ones learn to interact with their peers, developing empathy, respect, and cooperation.
- Circle Time: Regular circle time sessions encourage open communication, active listening, and turn-taking, fostering a sense of belonging and a supportive classroom community.
Is your child ready to build her/his social and emotional skills?
Every child arrives at preschool with their own world — their own ways of feeling, expressing, and connecting. The role of a great preschool is to meet them exactly there, and gently build from it. At Leonardo, social and emotional learning is not a program we run. It is the air our classrooms breathe ☺️
If you are looking for a licensed preschool in the Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, or Montclair area where Social and Emotional Learning is woven into daily play, we would love to show you what that looks like in person. Look into our curriculum here or call us to schedule a tour (973) 533-8312.
About Leonardo da Vinci International Academy
We are a warm, non-denominational licensed preschool and childcare center in Bloomfield, NJ, welcoming children ages 2.5 through Kindergarten and serving families in Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Montclair. Our school is a New Jersey Department of Children and Families licensed preschool and daycare, led by certified early childhood professionals in a safe and nurturing learning environment. We offer preschool, extended care from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and enrichment programs built on our core pillars: Music & Movement, World Languages, STEAM exploration, Cooking Up Creativity, and Outdoor Education.