Preschool Program
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Carousel’s preschool classrooms serve children ages 3 through kindergarten across four classrooms — Seedlings (3 year olds), Sprouts (4 year olds), Saplings (5 year olds), and Kinders (kindergarten). Each classroom is designed to meet children exactly where they are developmentally while building the skills, confidence, and social-emotional foundation they need to be successful learners.
Our Approach
Our preschool program is grounded in developmentally appropriate practice and evidence-based, play-based learning. Children learn best when they feel safe, connected, and free to explore. Our teachers plan intentional, hands-on activities that build on children’s natural curiosity and support growth across all developmental domains — social-emotional, language and literacy, cognitive, and physical.
Every preschool classroom at Carousel implements the Pyramid Model for Social Emotional Learning. This means teachers proactively build positive relationships, create predictable and supportive environments, and teach social-emotional skills as part of the daily curriculum. Children learn to identify feelings, solve problems, build friendships, and regulate their emotions in age-appropriate ways.
All curriculum is aligned with the Alaska Early Learning Guidelines and Teaching Strategies GOLD. We are a thread Learn and Grow Level 2 program actively working toward Level 3. Weekly lesson plans are developed for every classroom and are available for families to review.
A day in our preschool classrooms includes:
- Warm welcome and morning free choice
- AM Snack
- Morning meeting, calendar, and read aloud
- Intentional small group and large group activities
- Art, sensory, and creative exploration
- Outdoor play
- Lunch
- Rest and quiet time
- Afternoon activities and small groups
- Supper
- Afternoon free choice and family pickup
