Every Day Counts! There are less than 2,000 days from the time a child is born until they enter Kindergarten.
The ConVal School District is committed to ensuring all four-year-old children have access to high-quality early childhood education. As such, the goal of the district's Preschool for All means access to high-quality, full-day, free or, based on family income, reduced-cost preschool for all 4-year-olds.
The ConVal Preschool for All Model
The ConVal Preschool for All Model creates learning environments and conditions in which all students learn and succeed, regardless of their economic status or whether or not they have a disability.
The early years are the most extraordinary period of growth in a child’s lifetime and lay the foundation for future learning and development. Investment in early childhood education has seen estimated returns of $2-$6 in benefits for every $1 invested. This investment has the greatest potential for improving long-term outcomes for at-risk children who have historically had limited access to high-quality early education programming.
The ConVal School District’s full-day Preschool for All model provides:
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extended access to our current, innovative early intervention and preschool programming to all 4-year-olds.
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increased opportunities for 4-year-olds to be better prepared for kindergarten.
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additional opportunities for children to benefit from a consistent, enriching, play-based, inclusive learning environment to enhance social-emotional skill development.
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full-time teaching and dedicated case management services; integrated student support services (including family support), collaboration and access to community resources, and opportunities for families to access preschool programming,
First Friends
ConVal's Preschool for All Programs (First Friends) are designed to meet the needs of three- to five-year old children who are developing typically, as well as the needs of children with special needs. Our high-quality program aims for growth and development. Every activity in our preschool classrooms is developmentally appropriate for each child. Children learn through active exploration and interaction in an enriching environment.
Social emotional development is an important aspect of our program. First Friends classrooms strive to teach children to communicate their wants, needs, and feelings and to resolve conflicts constructively in order to become socially competent.
Children learn much from each other. Typically, developing children need to learn that we all have differences. For some, certain things are difficult to do while other things are done with ease. Children at First Friends will learn a great deal about patience and understanding. By learning these skills early in life, they will grow up to be well-adjusted, more compassionate adults.
First Friends provides a predictable routine that allows children to feel secure and safe in an environment where they learn, play, and grow. Positive guidance and established limits also help each child learn what is expected.
The First Friends curriculum provides opportunities for sociodramatic play, art, music, and movement. Morning activities are designed to develop the children’s language, pre-literacy, pre-academic, social-emotional, fine and gross motor, self-care, and independence skills.
The curriculum establishes clear and developmentally appropriate goals for children’s learning. It was compiled from the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS), the New Hampshire Early Learning Standard (June 2016), and the NH Kindergarten Readiness Indicators (February 2014).