Research has shown that the first five years of a child's life are critical in terms of personal and educational growth. It is in these early years that children develop their self-esteem, confidence and love of learning. At Pineapple Cove Academy we take our children's natural curiosity and focus on the areas of reading, math, language, art, music, science, social studies and cognitive thinking skills in a fun and creative environment. Of equal importance is the physical, social, emotional and creative development of each child. Pineapple Cove Academy’s curriculum ensures that each child has a totally comprehensive preschool experience. Pineapple Cove Academy’s curriculum program is designed to meet the needs of children from birth to five years old. In addition, Pineapple Cove Academy offers an enrichment program for ages six through twelve years of age. Our curriculum program is based on meeting the individual needs and expectations of each child. We use a hands-on approach to learning with teachers who creatively interact with the children in order to achieve success.

Creative Curriculum® is the country’s leading scientifically based, research-validated, comprehensive curriculum with guidance on teaching literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. The Creative Curriculum® balances both teacher-directed and child-initiated learning with an emphasis on responding to children’s learning styles and building on their strengths and interests. It is a comprehensive curriculum with a clear organizational structure and a particular focus on routines and experiences. Creative Curriculum® focuses on the importance of meeting basic needs, fostering social/emotional development, developing secure attachments, and supporting cognition and brain development.

Pineapple Cove Academy implements the Creative Curriculum® for children from Infants to 5 years of age. The curriculum for Toddlers & Twos, includes goals and objectives for children's learning in all areas of development: social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. Goals and objectives show where you want to go; the curriculum tells you how to get there. Curriculum is the what, why, how, and when of providing a high-quality program. It also guides the interactions we have with children and families. The Creative Curriculum® explains all aspects of a developmentally appropriate program and leads us through the processes of planning and implementing every aspect of caring for and teaching children. The Creative Curriculum® offers choices and encourages flexibility.

Hula Babies • Lil Surfer Kids • USA Surf Tot Team • Dancing Dolphins
The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos helps teachers appreciate and find joy in the everyday discoveries that delight a child--the sound a rattle makes; the leaves blowing in circles by the wind; the ball that unexpectedly rolls across a child's path; the ants marching across the pavement. It is a comprehensive curriculum that helps teachers achieve the very best program for children under three. If the interactions children have are nurturing, consistent, and loving, and the experiences they have are appropriately challenging, then infants, toddlers, and twos grow and flourish. In such an environment, children learn to trust and joyfully explore their surroundings, making discoveries and developing a sense of themselves as competent learners and caring human beings.

• The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, helps teachers thoughtfully observe children, and use what they learn to be responsive to children's interests and needs.
• Linking curriculum and assessments allow teachers to be intentional about the experiences they offer infants, while retaining the flexibility to be responsive to the infant's changing needs and abilities.
• Addresses language and literacy, math, and science, because very young children are already exploring ideas and developing important skills that become the building blocks for future learning.
• Highlights the research and theory on which the Creative Curriculum® is based and the implications for everyday practice.

Geckos • Shortboards • VPK
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool balances both teacher-directed and child-initiated learning with an emphasis on responding to children's learning styles and building on their strengths and interests. Resting on a firm foundation of research, it has an environmentally-based approach that defines the vital role of the teacher in connecting content, teaching, and learning for preschool children and offers a practical, easy-to-understand approach to working with children and their families. It is a comprehensive curriculum with a clear organizational structure and a particular focus on interest areas.

The organizational structure of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool includes five components:
• How Children Develop and Learn
• The Learning Environment
• What Children Learn
• The Teacher's Role
• The Family's Role
• These components rest on a solid foundation of research.

The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool , ages 3-5, provides teachers with a clear and concrete way to apply child development and learning theories to their everyday work with preschool children. Its underlying philosophy draws from widely accepted research and theories of child development and learning. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is applied to an environmental framework that focuses planning around indoor and outdoor interest areas, and clearly defined logical goals and objectives.

With an understanding of content and how children learn it, teachers can expand the opportunities they offer children to acquire knowledge and understand concepts. They can make a direct link between the preschool curriculum and what children will learn in elementary school. When the content of the curriculum is taught with children's development in mind, children are more likely to be successful learners who feel excited about and challenged by what they are learning. Building a partnership with families and ensuring that they have a role in their children’s education is a vital component of the Creative Curriculum®.

The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is a comprehensive, scientifically based early childhood curriculum that has been shown to improve cognitive and social/emotional outcomes in young children. It is linked with a valid and reliable assessment instrument, The Creative Curriculum® Developmental Continuum for Ages 3-5, designed so teachers can assess child progress and guide program planning.

The Creative Curriculum® is based on the latest research on how children learn best and has been shown through experimental and quasi-experimental studies to improve classroom quality and promote the school readiness of preschool children. The Creative Curriculum® meets all of the standards put forth for effective early childhood curricula by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE).
The Foundation of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool: Theory and Research
Child development theory and research are the foundation of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool. They inform decision making, influence our view of children, and are the basis for all the recommendations we've included.
• Abraham Maslow--Basic needs and learning
• Erik Erikson--The emotions and learning
• Jean Piaget--Logical thinking and reasoning
• Lev Vygotsky--Social interaction and learning
• Howard Gardner--Multiple intelligences
• Sara Smilansky--Play and learning
• Research on learning and resiliency
• Research on learning and the brain
Not only is every aspect of The Creative Curriculum® based on sound developmental theory and evidence-based research, but numerous research studies have been conducted to validate its effectiveness.

If you would like further information about Creative Curriculum®
Visit their web site at www.creativecurriculum.net

In addition to The Creative Curriculum, Pineapple Cove Academy utilizes Open Court Reading Program. Open Court Reading for Pre-K is a research-based curriculum designed for use with preschoolers. The Open Court Reading Pre-K includes eight units that each provide 20 lessons. This curriculum is specifically focused on literacy and uses finger plays, rhymes, songs, and poems to promote reading readiness. Open Court Reading Pre-K was designed to teach children to decode and comprehend in an efficient manner so that they can read a variety of quality literature. It provides very systematic approaches to listening, comprehension and assessment, so teachers and parents can track a child’s progress through each unit. Visit the
Open Court Reading/ McGraw Hill/SRA web site for more information.

In general, early childhood programs that are A.P.P.L.E. accredited have demonstrated a commitment to providing high quality programs for young children and their families. The accreditation process requires each school to meet specific quality standards in areas such as interactions among teachers and children, staff to child ratios, developmental appropriateness of the curriculum, staff qualifications, health and safety, and administration. It also requires schools to undergo a validation process to verify their compliance with APPLE guidelines which may be more stringent than state licensing requirements.

If you would like learn more about A.P.P.L.E.
Visit the www.faccm web site.

The Florida Department of Children and Families Child Care Program Office is responsible for approving accrediting child care agencies for participation in the Gold Seal Quality Care Program. These accrediting agencies must meet or exceed the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards, the standards of the National Association of Family Child Care, or the standards of the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission. Visit the NAEYC web site for more information. The links below may also be of interest.