Genesis Early Childhood Program: New Opportunities for Families This Year

As the new school year begins with much anticipation and some anxiety, parents of young children are having to make extremely difficult choices for their children this year.  The complexity of these decisions is unprecedented--to stay home or to go to school?  There is no one size fits all answer to this question.  Parents are called during this time to prayerful discernment to a decision that allows them peace with their choice for their family.  

This is not a time for judgement of one anothers choices, but a time for each family to make the decisions that are best for their family circumstances at this time.  By some children remaining at home to continue learning, this opens up space for more distanced interactions to occur in programs like Genesis Early Childhood Program.  This is really about each of us working together for the common good.  Each of us plays our part, even if that means making different choices for this year.  

At Genesis Early Childhood Program, we are offering both our in-person program, as well of an extension of our virtual curriculum from last spring.  We continue to have space, particularly in our 3’s classes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and in our 4’s classes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and Tuesday/Thursday.  Please contact Melanie Gehrt at melanie.gehrt@ctrcc.com if you are interested in enrolling your child in person.   Visit our website for in-person registration information. 

The Virtual Curriculum Option at Genesis ECP will look similar to last spring, but we will be layering on a few additional new components.

We will continue to send 3 short videos per week with content focused on Faith Formation, STEM, Literacy and Language, Math, and Movement.  We will also offer 3 and 4-year-olds (by Sept. 1) a weekly virtual circle time that will require parent assistance at a set time each week (synchronous learning).  This will last between 10-20 minutes as it would in the classroom depending on the composition of the children and the content being covered.  

Curriculum objectives and developmental milestones will be shared and include parents in the intention of the activities to more fully integrate these concepts into life at home.  Finally, we will offer parent check-ins with Genesis staff to help with addressing individual child's needs.  The cost of virtual curriculum is $35 per month.  

If you are interested, please visit our website to register your child for virtual curriculum. 
 
The schedule will be as follows:

Tuesday: Faith Formation Lesson
Related activity sheet - Genesis will distribute via attachment to Flocknote--Printer access will be needed to retrieve the worksheet.
Curriculum for the Week-Overall activity ideas and developmental objectives for children 18 months - 4 years old

Wednesday: STEM Lesson
3’s Google Meet Virtual Circle Time should focus on language, literacy, and/or math (Question of the Day, Story Time, Rhymes and songs, fingerplays, etc.) at a set time each week.

Thursday: Story Time/Rhymes/Fingerplay
4’s Google Meet Virtual Circle Time should focus on language, literacy, and/or math (Beginning sound show and tell, Story Time, Rhymes and songs, fingerplay, etc.) - with TEA Focus for the Week at a set time each week.