Description

Lilliput Preschool is an opportunity for children ages 24 months to 6 years (after school care available for 6-year-olds), to participate in a program that reflects the same philosophy and care that has produced happy healthy children over the last three decades (see Lilliput philosophy in the Infant Program description). ​

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Curriculum

Lilliput Preschool is a new innovative, program including our unique Swiss Sport and Motor Learning Program, simple science experiments, fun art projects, organic gardening and cooking, music, dance, and puppetry. Languages spoken are English, French, Tagalog, German, and Spanish. Lilliput Preschool prides itself on a low teacher to child ratio is 1:5 and is licensed for 17 children.

The learning environment plays an important role in developing a child's skills and abilities. A lot of patience and caring is necessary to nurture positive social behavior. Verbal communication encourages language development so that a child will learn to express feelings and perceptions verbally as they interact socially with others. Finally, creative thinking develops through the media of art, music, dramatic play, and learning activities presented in a relaxed ambiance. Hence, a child's self-concept evolves gradually and securely as they recognize and accept themselves as an individual and as a person in relation to their world. 

Fee Schedule

A fee schedule will be provided during the observation visit.

Calendar

Lilliput Infant and Preschool is open all year round. We take two weeks off in the winter during the holidays and two weeks off in the summer. Our holiday schedule will be provided during the observation visit.

Policies

We work on a "first come, first serve" basis, meaning, we have no wait-list. Please call for an observation visit if there is an opening. If you would like to reserve a place at our center, there is a $400 one time only, non-refundable registration/reservation fee.

A contract with our policies, registration forms, and parent handbook are given upon receipt of the registration deposit

Our goal is to encourage children's creativity through developmentally appropriate art experiences.  Our time doing art is balanced between "process-focused art experiences" where there is no step-by-step instructions, no right or wrong way to explore and create which make the experience relaxing and calming. The art is entirely the children's own. We also work on "product-focused art experiences" where children have simple instructions to follow and where there is a finished product in mind. In both approaches of the art experiences, we let children develop their own ideas and intuitions. In the end, the goal is to have children being proud of their works. 

What children do and learn by creating art?

Social and emotional

Children relax, focus, feel successful, and can express their feelings.

Language and literacy

Preschoolers are invited to sign (write their names with letters or using personal prints) their art. They also ask the teachers to give their art work a title or to describe the scene they described.

Cognitive

Children compare, predict (mixing colors for example), plan, and problem solve.

Physical

Children use small motor skills to paint, write, glue, use playdough, and make collages.

Please visit our Art Gallery on Facebook. Lilliput Artwork

This program is designed for part time children and for children who attend a transitional kindergarten program in the morning.

12h00  Lunch

12h30  Reading, story time

13h00  Rest

14h00  Supervised free play, inside/outside

15h00  Supervised outside play, dynamic movement.

16h00  Afternoon snack. Art related to the stories we read in class.

17h00  Supervised outside play,     Static movement.

18h00  End of the day.

About the differences between Preschool program and Transitional Kindergarten, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/community-services/human-services/child-care/transitional-kindergarten-and-preschool-fact-sheet.pdf

The Sport Development program has been developed based on the combination of proven scientific theory and experience in a variety of youth sports programs. The model of Long Term Athlete Development developed by Canadian Sport for Life, and the Action Type typology model used in Switzerland by Swiss Olympic and many national federations combined with Sport Performance Psychology, Early Childhood Education and Positive Youth Development are the framework of our philosophy. The focus of the preschool program is on coordination skills such as orientation, rhythm, differentiation, reaction and balance, posture mastering, and developing hand eye coordination. The consequences from an early active start enhance cognitive, social, emotional and motor skills. Together, fundamental movement skills (static or dynamic) and sport skills form the basis of physical literacy and have a positive impact on cognitive development.

The goal of our motor skill program is to help children to find a right balance between two centers: movement and immobility. We work on both centers through simple exercises that help the children to develop trust in their ability to take risk, to improve their physical skills, and to have simple tools that can help them to calm down where they feel frustrated or overwhelmed.

Movement (decentralization). Key words: decentralization, outward activity of the senses, speech, body movements, round of thoughts.

Objectives: To make play and physical activity fun and exciting. 

Children should be continually active without being sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time. Growth and development should be enhanced through playful exploration of risks and limits within safe environments. At Lilliput, children begin to be exposed and focus on proper basic fundamental skills such as running, jumping, twisting, kicking, throwing and catching. Infants and toddlers need to be early introduced through fun activities with structured and unstructured games that incorporate a variety of body movements. Through play and movement, they develop the basics of movement skills that will provide the foundation for learning fundamental sports skills at older ages. The purpose of our program is to teach young children the foundations of coordinated movement, body awareness, and sport while encouraging teamwork, positive communication, learning and development.

Immobility (centralization). Key words: Turning of the senses inward, silence, stillness, concentration.

Objectives: To learn how to cultivate greater self-awareness and greater awareness of others and the world.

Children are naturally mindful. They live very much in the present moment and are not so preoccupied with the past and the future. Through simple exercises, our goal is to nurture that quality of openness and to learn how to pay attention to the different feelings and thoughts that occurs when we listen to what happens inside our head or body. Being more in touch with their experience can help children develop skills such as kindness, empathy, and compassion. At the end of a session, we encourage children to talk about their experience and to share their feelings with their friends.