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EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM

Dear Early Childhood Families:

Welcome to AIS!

My name is Luis Carrillo, and I am the Principal of our Early Childhood Program. I have worked in education for more than 18 years and hold qualifications in learning disabilities, clinical psychology, and applied neuropsychology. This background shapes my approach to teaching and leadership: children learn best when they feel happy, secure, and supported.

Our Early Childhood educators create engaging, developmentally appropriate learning environments and carefully monitor each child’s growth. Using the Creative Curriculum, we provide hands-on, purposeful experiences that encourage curiosity, independence, and a strong foundation for future learning.

Toddlers explore familiar objects through play and discovery. Pre-Kindergarten students investigate questions, participate in group learning, and enjoy experiences such as cooking. In Kindergarten, students explore letters, names, and sounds as they develop their identities as readers and writers.

Our greatest strength is our dedicated teaching team. We also value strong partnerships with families. Parents are encouraged to communicate with teachers, volunteer in classrooms, join field trips and the Parent Teacher Organization, and share their cultures, traditions, music, and food with our students.

Together, we create a joyful community where children feel excited to learn and proud to belong.

Sincerely,

Luis Carrillo.

The AIS Early Childhood Program welcomes our youngest learners into a nurturing, bilingual environment focused on social-emotional development, creativity, exploration, and meaningful play. Our program supports the whole child and builds a strong foundation for lifelong learning, wellbeing, and future success at AIS.

We believe:

  • Every child is unique, capable, and eager to learn.
  • Children learn best when they feel safe, secure, valued, and cared for.
  • Families are children’s first teachers, caregivers, and advocates.
  • Development is integrated, with children building social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, creative, and physical skills simultaneously.
  • Teaching should be intentional, developmentally appropriate, and responsive to each child’s interests and needs.
  • Play, inquiry, and exploration are essential to early learning.
  • Bilingual learning strengthens communication, thinking, and connection with others.
  • Each child’s culture, language, family background, and experiences should be respected and celebrated.

Through close partnerships with families and purposeful learning experiences, we help children develop confidence, independence, positive relationships, and a strong sense of belonging within the AIS community.

Under research-based put: Our educators are inspired by the Creative Curriculum to ensure that each activity, lesson and unit is informed by developmentally appropriate expectations for learning and growth.

PROGRAM FRAMEWORK

Research-Based

Each activity, lesson and unit is informed by developmentally appropriate expectations for learning and growth.

Our program covers the central domains of early learning, which are the skills children need to succeed in school. Our balanced program provides sufficient breadth and depth in each area.

Our approach is relevant for children from diverse linguistic, economic, and cultural backgrounds and for children with disabilities.

Our work together is fun! It includes a reasonable number of domains, sub-domains, goals, and indicators that teachers can effectively implement and learners can meaningfully master.

Our program allows us to reflect on observable skills, behaviors, and concepts.

We use assessment tools based on developmentally appropriate milestones. The assessment model used in the ECP follows widely held expectations for children from Toddlers through Kindergarten and enables a whole-child approach to assessment. Color-coded progressions guide teachers toward selecting and adapting activities that support each child’s development and learning. Meaningful reports inform classroom practices and individualized instruction based on objectives that are closely aligned with our curriculum.

Expert early childhood teachers utilize the Creative Curriculum to bring learning to life for our youngest students.

This program opens our community to younger learners by offering a daily, in person educational experience focused on social and relational development, bilingual abilities and creativity in a nurturing and caring environment.

AIS’s Early Childhood Education Program focuses on meeting the needs of each individual child while also introducing them to school life and developing the emotional and relational skills for healthy interactions with others.

We use an integrated approach to learning which enables young minds to learn many things at the same time. All teaching is intentionally focused on what each child needs in order to learn and grow. Most importantly, at AIS, we foster a healthy learning environment which celebrates each individual’s family’s culture, background, language and beliefs.

  • A safe, loving and healthy environment.
  • Research-based approach to early learning rooted in the Creative Curriculum.
  • Elementary School Readiness.
  • Instruction in English and Spanish.
  • Successful social interactions, inside and outside of school.