Full day child care includes morning preschool classes for children two to four years of age. The children are assigned to a specific class according to their age and level of development. Class time is between 8:30 am and 12:00 noon. Each class enjoys outside play on our creative playgrounds. Nap time provides a soothing, restful period after a busy morning. The afternoon program provides the child with supervised activities in the areas of music, story time, games, creative play and art.
In our Infant and Toddler program a specific caregiver is assigned to each child and is responsible for most of their daily care. Healthy infant and toddler development is fostered in a trusting relationship established between each child and their Primary Caregiver.
Our Two Year Old program is designed to stimulate the child's development in the areas of language, creativity, cognitive learning, and emotional, social, and physical growth. The teacher develops a daily schedule and a weekly lesson plan by selecting activities in these six developmental areas. Parents receive a "Sunshine Report" that outlines the child's activities for the day, including meals, creative activities, toileting progress, nap time, and disposition.
Listening to stories, retelling events, dramatic play with puppets and props, plus music and movement experiences form the core of the Three Year Old program as the child develops language and concept skills. The teacher selects a weekly theme to develop these skills and sends home a copy of the lesson plan each week.
The Four Year Old child is ready for the exploration of concepts in the areas of reading and math readiness, science and social studies, and continues improving his or her language and physical development skills. Field trips in the community are planned for this class and enhance the child's enjoyment of the current weekly theme. Parent communication is facilitated through the teacher's lesson plans, which are sent home each week.
The Five Year Old child is ready for the development of reading, math and handwriting skills that will prepare him or her for the more formal learning environment of elementary school. Our full day program uses a selection of readiness materials that present science, social studies, music, language, and physical development activities in a monthly thematic format. Field trips add to the child's enjoyment and understanding of the curriculum. Parents are informed of the classroom activities through the teacher's lesson plans, which are sent home weekly.
Our Before And After school program is designed for children ages five to twelve who attend elementary schools in the vicinity of our centers. A breakfast and afternoon snack are provided. Our program presents a variety of activities to meet the child's needs: outdoor play, table games, cooking activities, quiet time, arts and crafts and a supervised homework period. Field trips may be scheduled on extended days.
The end of the year signals the beginning of our Summer Camp program. Presented in weekly thematic sessions, the children enjoy arts and crafts, music and movement, cooking, dramatic play, nature study, and field trips. Swimming is also offered during the camp.
Our School Age Summer Camp program begins with the conclusion of the school year and continues through the end of August. Thematic, creative, recreational and outdoor activities are the focus of our program. Each week is filled with exciting and rewarding learning, discovery and play experiences. Arts and crafts, nature study, cooperative games, team sports, music and drama, computers, swimming and cooking activities fill their days. Field trips to local and regional points of interest are scheduled weekly. We have a wide variety of special events such as visits from our favorite music groups and a magic workshop with our favorite magician. Not to mention water parks and a last day of camp party to finish out the summer. An activity fee is charged to cover the activity cost.
At Northern Virginia Academy, we believe that from the moment babies are born, they start communicating with the world around them. If we could put our feet in their little shoes, we can imagine how frustrating it would be to have specific thoughts and needs to express, but not to be able to express them effectively. For that reason, we have incorporated a sign language program for our Infant and Toddler programs at three of our four campuses, which are Landsdowne, Lorton, and Burke. The purpose of sign language program is to enable infants and toddlers as young as 6-8 months to communicate before they can speak.
We start introducing basic signing to our infants at the age of 6 months and go through 24 months. Signing is done daily during everyday routine, and continues throughout the year. Signing will be used regularly and consistently by the teachers and a new sign will be included on weekly lesson plans. Teachers also use flash cards, and sign words to fun songs to keep the children interested and excited.
Parents will be given basic information about the signs being worked on and informed about their child’s progress and are encouraged to sign at home with their children.
We have found signing to be very effective in the classrooms because the children can communicate successfully with those around them. Signing accelerates early language learning, and reduces frustration for children and adults. Signing also reduced noise levels in the classroom and strengthens caregiver-child bonds. Furthermore, signing promotes high IQ and reinforces memory and creativity skills. It enables children with special needs to communicate supporting and also empowers children and staff to use multiple forms of effective communication.