Students and their parents work together as classroom buddies to start the day off on a positive note.
We focus on a creative monthly theme, which includes songs, phonic awareness, story-time, letter recognition, shape, and number concepts.
Here we provide small group opportunities for our scholars to experiment with materials, discuss and discover, and problem solve. At the NAPA Kidz Academy, we believe all children learn best by doing. With an emphasis on active exploration of the child’s environment, our small group centers and activities focus on self-help, motor development, and enhancing language through structural and creative play. Additionally, our activities cover academic concepts (shapes, numbers, letters, phonics), tactile mediums and art (strengthening our fine motor skills and tactile aversions/sensitivities) and of course, moving our students from the challenging task of parallel to cooperative play!
We teach our students as young as 18 months to use a spoon and fork. We allow finger feeding but all students are offered drinks in cups and food on plates with utensils. Our tiny tots learn from a young age the importance of routine and cleaning up after oneself. We also assist in their toileting and diaper changes when appropriate.
This special time includes music and movement with our NAPA parents and their children.
We use HELP (The Hawaii Early Learning Profile), a curriculum-based assessment system, to create goals and tailor developmentally appropriate interventions to meet the specific needs of the child.