An improvised telephone allows a three-year-old child to use her imagination and her language skills to reach out to someone, while her classmate practices writing skills as she enjoys a sunny day. 

Our toddlers, aged 18 months to 3 years, have a book read to them during circle time. In an unstructured period, the children are presented with board books, which they can pick for themselves. Learning to sit quietly and turn pages is a significant developmental milestone.  

The 3-year-olds have a more intensive reading program. Each day the teachers read at least two books to the children at circle time; reading readiness is introduced by increasing verbal skills, including naming objects, learning each other’s names, and introducing the connection between the spoken word and the written word. They are acquiring the skills of symbol recognition (letters and numbers).

The 4-year-olds are in a pre-kindergarten program, where learning is more structured. Letter-sound recognition, learning to write, simple reading, telling stories are integrated into their day. Some children in this class have been to their public libraries with their parents. We want our children to be able to access information on any subject that interests them, in an easy-to-follow format. In addition, since we have a multicultural and multiracial population, we offer books to reflect the changing face of America and the world.

"The World Around Us” is the Science and Social Studies curriculum of The Huntington Freedom Center’s Early Childhood Learning Program, which provides daycare and preschool for children ages 18 months to 5 years old. Our goal is to introduce our at-risk children to the greater world around them, starting with school, community, and the world. Through this program our children become more aware of the world outside their homes and school environment.

We encourage observation of details and we try to stimulate critical thinking. We expect our children to start questioning forces that they observe, but do not yet understand (weather; simple physics (gravity, magnetism); and nature. This leads the children themselves to open up new areas of study, "What kinds of foods to animals eat?" and we ask open-ended questions that require creative thinking, "What does your family pet do all day?" Our program is enhanced with books from our library, and appropriate arts and crafts activities.

The success of our program is measured by the progress our children are making in their academic, cognitive, social skills and emotional development.

Adam gets upclose and personal with a bug, while Joey checks on our vegetable garden. .

Our Music and Movement Program is a weekly activity at our school. The program has been designed by teachers of early childhood development who have created a music and movement curriculum/program.  They accomplish this through the use of musical instruments, fine and gross motor movement, nursery rhymes, puppetry, song, and classic children's literature brought to life  through music. The activities are thematically based and involve development of early childhood such as numbers, shapes, opposites, colors and categories such as farm animals, transportation and family. This program will also encourage social skills such as cooperation, turn-taking, teamwork, active listening skills, and good manners.                                      

                       Children delight in that childhood staple, hula hoops.

Children from 18 months to 5 years old are scheduled for two sessions of outdoor play, morning and afternoon, weather permitting. There are two state-of-the-art playgrounds: one for toddlers (18 months to 36 months) and one for preschoolers (3 years to 5 years old.   

Everyone gets into the fun on the playground.

During the winter months when the children can't go outdoors, they maintain their physical fitness with the Music and Movement Program and their sessions at WEST [Winner's Edge Sports Training]                  Kyle keeps his eye on the ball.                                 

Children are provided with a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack each day according to New York State CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) guidelines. Our Nutrition Manager has been trained in a Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative Training Program sponsored by the New York State Department of Health.