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                        West Shore participates in the
           Early Learning Initiative (ELI) School readiness...

Research shows that the leading factor for children's success in school is their ability to get along with others. Much of each day is spent helping children problem-solve, express feelings appropriately, and develop coping strategies.  Important steps towards school readiness are self help skills for eating, toileting, and dressing.  Teachers enhance and protect children's self-concept.  Teachers encourage the notion of choice with responsibility; children assist with cleaning up; children talk with teachers about
choices and consequences.

How we play...
• Boys and girls play dress-up and house in the housekeeping corner, spreading out to other
  areas to 'go shopping, take baby to the doctor'.
• Children build elaborate block structures and pretend play with props in the carpeted area.
• Several children listen to a story tape and follow the story in a book.
• A group of children sit at the table working on a teacher-directed art project based on the
   current theme. Art projects focus on the child's choices and the process, not the finished
   product.
• Children pour and measure at the water table, sorting and splashing.
• A child retells a story or makes up a new one using the flannel board and flannel board
   characters.
• At Circle all the children recite the days of the week, the name of the month and holidays,
   name the season and discuss the weather and the day's helping-hands tasks such as line
   leader and setting the table.
• Story time is on the carpet, sitting in the 'kindergarten way'.
• A child paints at the easel choosing from lots of colors with a large brush.
• Children follow a record and do motions with their teacher.
• No one is in the classroom. Everyone is in Baker Hall riding bikes, climbing, bouncing balls,
   or 'driving to get fast food' in their pedal cars.
• Two children are working at the computer with two or three on-lookers, learning
   beginning sounds, sorting objects by their shape and color, or counting steps to
   rescue a familiar character.