1: Avoid Summer Learning Loss with a Summer Program

Kids in summer programs perform better

So much progress that occurs during the school year can be lost without practice in the summer months. Studies have shown that on average children end up a month behind their academics by the end of the summer. Once students return in the fall of a new school year, they have to spend time catching up.

Some students can fall further behind over each summer, and these loses each summer add up. Summer program statistics show that by the time a student reaches fifth grade, the student could be two to three years behind his or her peers due to summer learning loss. That cumulative loss can negatively affect a child’s academic future, including college options. It turns out that summer learning loss is one of the largest factors of the achievement gap between low-income and middle-income families.

2: Foster Academic Success with Summer Programs

Summer program statistics have proven that students who attend summer programs have fared better than their peers who did not attend summer programs. Children enrolled in summer programs get new opportunities to learn new things every day and put them into practice with fun experiments or projects!

Summer programs can encourage your child’s love of learning, which sets your child up for future success. In a study featuring summer learning programs in California, the findings were amazing! A majority of parents of children in these programs noticed an improvement in their child’s reading ability and their child’s attitude towards reading.

If your child struggles in school, the summer months provide a chance for him or her to catch up and improve in scarier subjects. A summer program at a child care center can provide a low-pressure environment for your child to learn, which is helpful to children who lack confidence in school.

3: Build Social Skills

Summers provide children with the opportunity to make new friends and improve their social skills! Summer programs focus on nurturing both academic and social skills to provide a well-rounded education. Kids can become more comfortable in new social environments and try new things. Summer programs can boost your child’s confidence and help your child learn about communication and cooperation in group settings.

4: Keep Your Child Physically Active

Keep kids physically active in summer

Physical activity is important for all of us, but it is especially important for children. Summer programs at child care centers provide plenty of outlets for exercise so your child stays physically active and healthy. Physical activity also keeps your child from getting bored during the summer and developing behavioral problems. You don’t have to send your child to a sports camp to make sure he or she stays active. As you choose a summer program for your child, look for one that includes physical activities!

Benefits of a Summer Program for Preschoolers

There are clear benefits of summer programs for children in elementary school. Are there benefits of a summer program for preschoolers? You bet! Summer programs at preschools or child care centers help your preschooler learn independence away from mom and dad. At Noah’s Ark Child Center, our preschool program for children ages 3-6 offers a safe and nurturing environment that fosters creativity, confidence, and curiosity.

Summer preschool programs also help your child get used to the structure of learning away from home. Your preschooler develops social skills around the other children and can make some new friends! A summer program can be a great way to prepare your child for kindergarten!

Summer Programs at Noah’s Ark Child Center

At Noah’s Ark Child Center, we offer school age summer programs as well as a Reno preschool summer program. In our school-age summer program, each week has its own theme! We keep kids excited about learning through fun activities and projects. We even provide healthy food to keep your child nourished and focused. Our summer program includes field trips and weekly swimming outings.

The school age summer program at Noah’s Ark Child Center runs for 9 weeks, and you can enroll your child for part-time or full-time options. The school age summer program is open to children who have completed first grade and are under the age of 13. Registration has opened for our summer programs, so don’t wait to take advantage of these enriching opportunities for your child!

Contact us to enroll your child in a summer program at Noah’s Ark Child Center today!

There are a lot of conflicting opinions among parents. From what the best diapers are to whether or not you should get your kids into school early on, the views and arguments are nearly endless. It helps to have fellow moms and dads share their views with you, but you should also do your own research. If you’re considering getting into early childhood education, pre-kindergarten might appeal to you. Find out what benefits the program can have for your child.

What is Pre-Kindergarten?

The first day of preschool is fun!

Pre-kindergarten, or simply pre-K, is a program offered by different learning and childcare centers around the country. The goal is to help kids be ready for entry into the conventional elementary school program. Pre-K helps create a more comfortable transition from being at home with one’s parents all the time to going out into the bigger world, with other people like classmates and teachers.

Pre-K programs have been around in various forms over the past century. It has changed a lot since then, and research has helped in improving its curriculum for the benefit of children.

Holistic Development

Pre-K focuses on a child’s different developmental aspects. These often include academic, social, physical, and emotional. These will hand-in-hand help get your child be prepared for real school.

A primary aspect of pre-K programs is socialization. This guides toddlers in getting used to being around other kids, as well as authority figures (aside from their mom and dad).

Preparing Children for School

The programs work as the child’s introduction to the structured world of the classroom — over the next decade, he will have to spend a lot of time in there, so preparation can be beneficial. As soon as a child becomes accustomed to and comfortable in the classroom environment, the better his chances at succeeding academically are.

Childcare personnel and teachers running pre-K programs are trained to assist children in embracing various learning methods, often through activities and games. Using this approach helps instill in the children the idea of having fun while learning, as opposed to dreading it. This can produce long-term effects as they grow in school.

Academic Benefits

Getting a child educated early on can make a big impact in his life. Studies suggest that those who attend pre-K programs have a lower chance of being held back a grade later. Those enrolled in pre-K have almost 40% more likelihood to have an IQ level of 90 before reaching 5 years old, and 20% of them have a better likelihood of graduating high school, according to researchers from the Center for Public Education.

Prekindergarten at Noah’s Ark Reno Child Care

Noah’s Ark Child Care Center of Reno is dedicated to providing quality pre-kindergarten programs to the families of Reno and the surrounding areas. Come check out our child care programs and contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!

Daycare vs Educational Child Care

Educational Child Care is about learning and fun!!

“Daycare” and “Childcare” are terms that are often used interchangeably. In some cases, that is appropriate. But childcare, especially educational child care, offers more in the way of programs than traditional daycare supervision.

Day care is most accurately described as a daily babysitting service. There is nothing wrong with traditional day care. Children are supervised, fed and given some fun activities to do while their parents work. But you may be looking for a little more for your child and the money that you will be spending.

Educational childcare is a rung above traditional daycare. Educational Childcare offers programs and activities that contribute to your child’s growth and learning in a safe well supervised setting.

Types of Educational Childcare

Educational childcare is usually designed for children from infant to preschool age. But there are also some great programs that cater to school age children as well. Summer camp programs are often a great way to keep older kids engaged and learning during the summer break.

But the most popular and most well-known type of educational childcare is preschool education. There are many benefits of preschool child care for both parents and students, including preparation for kindergarten, social engagement and cognitive development.

Preschool is not just daycare. It is a place where your child transitions from the at home informal learning of early childhood, to the more formal classroom based learning of kindergarten and grade school.

There are also great educational toddler programs that focus not only on play but also on learning and cognitive development and motor skills. Before enrolling your child in a child care program, don’t be afraid to ask the center staff exactly what their philosophy and curriculum is. If they are a quality child care center, they will gladly offer you their information and educational policies.

Educational Child Care Programs with Noah’s Ark Reno 

Noah’s Ark Child Center in Reno is dedicated to providing children and families in the Reno / Sparks area the quality educational child care they deserve. Our child care programs are designed around the educational and learning potential of all children. We offer child care programs from preschool to after school age. And we even offer a engaging school age summer school program. Come check out all our programs and contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!

Long before the advent of brick and motor schools, curriculum and even writing, children learned about their world through games, play and sport. And while not every academic subject can be learned through play and games, many of them can. Even math, a subject that most consider a great bore, can be enhanced with fun math learning games for kids. The only limit to the scope of learning games for kids is the imagination of the teachers, children and parents.

Learning games for kids are also beneficial for socialization and adapting to group learning. Let’s take a look at the benefits of learning games for kids.

Learning Games for Kids are an essential part of learning!

Cognitive and Intellectual

Learning games for kids, including preschool age kids, which flex their cognitive and intellectual abilities are usually of the board game type or are the interactive computer game type. Games like puzzles, shape and image mapping games work out their spatial and memorization skills. Computerized math games can add a layer of fun and excitement to an otherwise bland subject. Most of these games are single player and teach the child to not only get the correct answer, but to see it through to a reward or goal. There are a number of great online games of this type that you can use at home to hone your child’s reading, math and spatial and memorization abilities. Check out some of these great learning games for kids that can keep them occupied on a rainy day.

Socialization

Children learn a number of social skills in a supervised free play environment. Allowing them to use their creativity and imagination with other children teaches them to respect others and coordinate activities.

Structured games are also a great way to improve their social skills. Games such as the name game, in which one child is given a ball in a group of children and then asked to say the name of the other person before rolling the ball to them, teach children the importance of identifying others by name, a critical social skill. Games like Simon says and red light green light teach children impulse control and how to follow directions and rules during play.

Learning Games for Kids at Noah’s Ark Reno 

Noah’s Ark Reno is dedicated to making the learning experiences of all our children as fun as engaging as possible. We take the research findings on the benefits of learning games very seriously. An we seek to implement all their recommendations into our classroom. Noah’s Ark Reno Childcare Center is the place where learning and fun can thrive together in your child’s life. Come check out or childcare, preschool, after school programs  and our summer camp program and contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you and starting a learning adventure with you and your child!

Summer is fast approaching. Soon, your child or children will be out of school and amped up to enjoy the warm summer weather and all the fun activities it can bring. However, from experience you may know that after a few weeks of summer fun the “I am bored” declarations start. On top of the boredom that can accompany the long, sweltering days, is your need of good childcare for your little ones while you are at work. Child care summer school programs can solve both of these problems. Summer school offers you a break from 24 hour care and gives your child fun and exciting things to do child in a social environment. Let’s take a look at some of the great benefits of summer camp!

Boredom Be Gone with Summer School

Prepare for adventure in summer camp!

As the novelty of the summer weather wears off and kids get bored, they can often become affixed to their computer and video games and end up spending most of their summer indoors. For those of us who spent most of our summers outdoors exploring, playing and having fun, seeing children glued to the screen for hours on end makes us worry that they are missing out on all the adventure! Summer camp and other summer programs offer your children fun and engaging activities that will get their body moving, mind thinking and curiosity piqued.

Hands on Learning in Nature with Summer Camp

Summer camp and summer programs are a great time to teach children that not all learning occurs in the classroom. At summer camp kids will soon find out that learning can mean dirty hands and exploring nature. Summer camp will teach your kids outdoor skills and allows them to experience mother natures classroom.

Unstructured Playtime

Along with structured activities designed to get your child’s mind thinking and curious, is time for free unstructured play and exploration. Summer camp allows kids to relax away from the classroom and explore their interests. Summer camp will give your child the ability to explore their inventiveness in play, problem solving and learning.

Social Skills

Summer school not only brings kids to nature and great activities. It also brings kids to each other. Summer camp activities are designed around group learning and problem solving. They learn to cooperate with other children, share resources and participate in group learning that prepares them for both the classroom and the real world.

Independence

Summer camp gives kids the opportunity to make choices and decisions as individuals away from their parents. Whether it is a day camp or overnight camp, the time at summer camp is spent learning to be themselves.

Summer School at Noah’s Ark Reno

Summer camp at Noah’s Ark Reno is a great way to keep your child busy this summer. Our summer school age program is built around a monthly activity calendar and many outings and field trips. There is a theme for each week of the summer program and daily activities and field trips are planned around this theme. Come check out all our programs and contact us today!

School age childcare programs are fun programs and engaging programs that kindergarten children and older can attend before school, after school, and during the summer and holiday breaks. Often, parents who have work schedules or family situations that make it difficult for an adult or guardian to supervise their child after the school day use school age child care to provide their child with a safe environment in which to spend their after school time.

Benefits of School Age Childcare Programs

Research has shown that quality school age childcare programs can provide children with a variety of developmental and intellectual benefits including improved academic performance, task persistence, improved work habits and study skills, and improved feelings and attitudes. These benefits are so comprehensive that federal, state and local initiatives are increasing the funding and support for school age child care programs. Approximately 6.5 million children participate in a school age after school program, and an additional 15.3 would attend if there were programs available.

The demand for school age childcare programs is increasing for two reasons. The first reason has to do with the fact that many parents are working hours that extend many hours beyond the length of the typical school day. For these parents, before and after school child care ensures that their children are supervised and safe while they are at work. The second reason has to with the many benefits of school age programs.

No matter what your reasons, below are some things to look for when choosing a quality child care program.

Not Just Daycare

A quality after school or school age childcare program of any type should be more than just a supervised day care. School age programs should be designed to complement and enrich the learning

Our staff is committed to exceptional school age childcare.

that takes place at school. Before choosing a school age program, ask the program director about age appropriate learning activities they offer.

Balance

While it is important that school age childcare offers learning activities and time to do homework, you don’t want your child to burn out on learning. That is why it is important that the school age program allows an appropriate level of autonomy and play time to the children. Research has shown that exercise and play are vital to child development. Before choosing a childcare program, ask the director about the amount of time that the kids are allowed to be kids.

Variety

Make sure that the school age childcare activities are varied and won’t risk your child becoming bored and tired. Ask about how the childcare staff come up with new, fun an exciting daily activities for your child.

Safety

Any school age childcare setting, no matter what the ages it caters to, should be devoted to the safety of the children. Make sure the child care facility is designed for safety and maintains a low child to caregiver ratio.

School Age Childcare Programs at Noah’s Ark Child Center

At Noah’s Ark Child Center in Reno, we provide high quality before and after school age childcare programs as well as programs during the holiday and seasonal breaks. Come check out all of our  program offerings and contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you!

When a child starts preschool, they are invited into a whole new world of learning and exploration. The preschool environment is a place where they begin to learn the basics of what they will later learn in grade school. The preschool curriculum includes learning the alphabet and simple reading, learning to play and interact in groups, and exercising creativity in arts and crafts. In addition to crafts and the learning that goes on in socialization, preschool children are introduced to math and number. Preschool math is designed to introduce the children to the concept of number, comparisons and the many ways that number is used in daily life.

The Importance of Preschool Math

As education becomes more focused on math, science and technology, it is important that children are introduced to numbers and become comfortable with

Preschool math is an essential part of early childhood education.

using them. While preschool math curriculum doesn’t guarantee that your child will be a math wiz, they will enter kindergarten and grade school with a solid foundation in math and the various ways it is used.

Preschool math is a transitional curriculum based on the assumption that the child knows very little to nothing about math and is designed to be the bridge to kindergarten learning.

How is Math Taught in Preschool?

Like many preschool subjects, preschool math is taught primarily by play, games and song. Preschool math curriculum is designed to introduce the child to number and many of the everyday uses of number. As adults, we forget how thoroughly numbers are a part of our lives. From the date to the time, numbers are everywhere. The purpose of preschool math is to expose children to the concept of number and engage some of the ways we use it in everyday life.

What are Children Taught in Preschool Math?

The beginning of preschool math education is the introduction to numbers, counting and number recognition. Games are used to help the preschooler recognize the numbers, learn to count and match numbers to their names. Children will learn to count the days of the school year, will be put into numbered groups and will begin to learn the concept of time and date.

Some of these mathematical concepts, however, are too hard for young learners to fully grasp. At this age, there is not too much to worry about if your child is struggling with numbers and their associated concepts. Telling time on a clock, for example, because it uses two sets of 12 distinguished by a.m and p.m. to account for a 24 hour day, introduces a second layer of possible confusion for a first time learner. Preschool math will give your child the building blocks of to learn further in kindergarten and grade school.

Preschool Math at Noah’s Ark Reno

Noah’s Ark Child Center is dedicated to providing excellent quality preschool education to the families of Reno, Nevada. In pursuit of this goal, the Preschool program at Noah’s Ark encourages children to discover number and learn how it is used in their daily lives. Children learn to recognize number, count and are introduced to the days of the week and the calendar. Come check out our programs and contact us today to get your child started on the path to future academic success! We look forward to hearing from you!

As you watch your children grow, take those first steps, learn and play, your greatest hope is that they will carry that joy, curiosity and love of learning that you see now into their future lives. Naturally, you want to do everything that you can to help them achieve success and a well-developed social, emotional and intellectual life. One of the best ways to give your children a head start in their social and intellectual development is to put them in an early childhood education program.

What is Early Childhood Education?

Early Childhoo Education gives children a head start!

Early Childhood Education is a set of educational theories, practices and programs that focus on children as young as infants to around age eight. A subset of early child education, known as infant/toddler education, is focused on children from birth to age two.

Most infant/toddler education takes place informally, at home, with parents and loved ones. Family socialization with young children is vital to their healthy development. But the positive effects of formal early childhood education programs, such as an accredited preschool education, is now widely recognized by early education experts as being just as crucial to a child’s intellectual development.

How Will My Child Benefit from an Early Education Program?

The benefits of early childhood education and preschool programs have been shown in study after study for many years. These benefits of preschool are perhaps one of the most solidly proven subjects in educational research. In fact, if this article were to detail the entirety of the benefits of early childhood education and preschool, it would run on so long you would probably stop reading it. So we will keep it to a few key findings.

According to an article in Psychology Today, brain research has revealed that the human brain undergoes a crucial cognitive development period at an early age. If the necessary cognitive stimulation is lacking at this critical time, the child may experience deficits in cognitive ability that would otherwise not appear.

The article goes on to point out that studies on the effects of quality preschool education indicate that preschool education provides children with skills vital to later success. A survey of 28 year olds who had received a preschool education revealed that they had better paying jobs and life security than those 28 year olds who did not attend preschool.

In depth studies have recorded additional long term benefits. A famous long term of study of the impacts of preschool and early education programs, called the High/Scope Perry Preschool study, found that preschool attendees have fewer behavior and metal health problems, are less likely to get into trouble with the law, earn more income and have high school and college higher graduation rates.

Early Childhood Education Programs at Noah’s Ark Reno

Noah’s Ark Reno is dedicated to quality early childhood education.

At Noah’s Ark Reno we are dedicated to providing your child with quality and stimulating early childhood education programs and childcare, like preschool, at that critical time when your child is “like a knowledge sponge,” to quote an early education expert. Come check out all our child care offerings and contact us today! Located in the Reno area. We look forward to meeting you and your child and starting a learning adventure!

The time has come for your child to go to school! You have been preparing for this day, and there may be a question lingering as a parent or caretaker: “what next?” There are many school age programs and activities that can supplement your child’s education in the classroom.

At Noah’s Ark Child Center in Reno, we have come up with a few school age program activities for kids to continue learning and having fun at the same time!

Indoor Activities

Arts and crafts are a great way to improve a child’s fine motor skills and self-expression. Strengthening these skills in a school age child will help him learn and grow in the classroom. One fun and creative arts and crafts activity for school age children is to make a rain stick. By filling a tube with rice and seeds, your child can replicate the sound of rain — how cool!

Outdoor Activities

School age programs are a chance for kids to explore!

Activate the kids’ brains and hearts with an interactive scavenger hunt! Create clues that are based on what the children have been learning in school to reinforce their education. With proper supervision, you can get the little ones running around for aerobic exercise and practicing logic or other educational skills!

Summer Activities

At Noah’s Ark Child Center, our summer school age program activities include field trips  centered around a weekly theme. Assigning a theme to each week gives the children a focus to help children learn and grow.

During our programs we take children on enriching field trips throughout the community. We visit Museums, the University of Nevada-Reno, and other places where kids can learn about the community. We also have field trips to Wild Island Family Adventure Park, Reno Aces Ballpark, and a fun bowling alley! No matter where we go, we make sure your kids are having fun!

Fall Activities

Do you have a lot of spare containers lying around your Reno home or daycare center? Repurpose them by using the old milk cartons and cans to help kids build their very own robot. This is a fun arts and crafts activity that can also involve some math by having children measure. Be sure there are no sharp objects included in the recycled products, since tiny fingers on something sharp is not a fun ending to a day building a robot!

School Age Programs at Noah’s Ark Child Center

Noah’s Ark Child Center offers school age programs!

At Noah’s Ark Child Center in Reno, we offer school age programs during the summer and for before and after school! The Noah’s Ark Child Center Summer School Age Program is open for children who have completed the first grade through children who are thirteen years old. School Age Programs during the summer help children keep their minds sharp between school years.

The Before and After School Programs for school age children are also helpful to expand a child’s education beyond time in the classroom. The School Age Program at Noah’s Ark Child Center is under the guidance of a School Age Supervisor and experienced staff.

Activities are planned for the morning and afternoon sessions, which allow the children free time to play and interact with their friends. Crafts, computers, games, stories, science, cooking, visitors and outdoor activities are included in the children’s time.
Visit us today to enter your child into a School Age Program in Reno at Noah’s Ark Child Center!