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Young Scholars Academy

Where Children Develop a Love of Learning

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Introducing Mandarin Chinese!

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Here at Young Scholars Academy, we are now teaching our staff and children Mandarin Chinese!

We believe communication is vital–no matter what part of the world you come from, live in, or travel to! And being able to connect to other cultures can do so much good in the world — it can create meaningful connections, promote deeper understanding and awareness, as well as inspire new friendships to flourish!

Young minds have the wonderful capacity to learn languages faster and easier than when they are older. (It’s why we also teach American Sign Language here as well!) Enjoy–and Xie Xie!

7 Sensational Ways Sign Language Classes Benefit Your Child

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There are many ways to teach your child. Whether they are visual or auditory learners, you have to mold the way you teach to their required learning ability. One of the best ways to teach your child is sign language classes. Not only is it a noble language to learn, but it can help if your child is primarily a visual learner.

If your child encounters a deaf student, communicating will be much easier and will help build social skills. Today, we will go over the 7 ways teaching your child can be fun and beneficial and how Colorado Springs child care is a great learning option for your child.

1. Teaching Sign Language Can Decrease Tantrums

Every child has their bad morning, or night…or days. But you have to think to yourself, why does my child have a tantrum? That question can be easily answered because there is a communication block. Younger children haven’t adapted the entire alphabet and the best way they know to get what they want is to scream and hit things. By adopting sign language, the language barrier is broken and communicating with your child is much easier.

2. Teaching Your Child To Sign Can Increase Their Vocabulary Skills

Young Scholars Academy teaches ASL!
Anyone can learn to sign!

Not only are you teaching your child visual learning skills when teaching them to sign, but auditory as well. With sign language classes, you constantly repeat the word out loud and repeat each letter as you sign it.

This benefits your child because they are learning how to physically sign the words as well as how to pronounce it when talking out loud. Believe it or not, you are teaching little Einstein two vocabularies at the same time.

3. Teaching Sign Language Can Increase Your Child’s IQ

Not that they will be taking a serious IQ test anytime soon, but you are teaching your child two different languages, two different vocabularies. This will not only help them down the road with other disabled students but you are helping sound out the words clearer with visual and auditory learning improving their spelling as well as reading skills.

4. Teaching Your Child to Sign Can Help if They’re A Visual Learner

Most kids today are both auditory and visual learners. By physically shaping the letters in their hand while teaching sign language, it helps visual learners in a massive way. Even with auditory learners, when signing you are also going over the syllable of every letter improving their auditory listening skills. In the end, you are improving both their auditory and visual skills and making it easier to teach if they are a specific type of learner.

5. When Your Child Knows Sign Language, Talking To Deaf Students is Easier

Like we mentioned before, learning sign language can improve social interactions with a deaf student. Not many schools teach sign language, and not knowing the language can present and obvious language barrier separating certain disabled students. Not only will learning to sign make a deaf student more comfortable at school but your child can make some great friends as well.

6. Teaching Your Child Sign Language Can Be A Great Bonding Experience

Interactions make for a great bonding experience. When you are teaching your child to sign you are using your eyes, hands, fingers, and mouths. These numerous interactions with your child help you understand them more which can promote a more strengthened relationship. Not to mention your child will thank you down the road when they can speak a different language which can help build more important skills down the road.

7. It’s Fun to Speak a Different Language!

Sign Language Classes Fort Children | Young Scholars Academy in Colorado Springs
Learning a new language is a great bonding experience!

It can’t get simpler than that! Learning a new language is not only a great bonding experience (as mentioned above) but is extremely fun for you and your child!

There are great activities to do on a day to day basis when you combine sign language with the English language and helps create a quieter and calmer atmosphere. Your kid will also love signing with other students their age if they participate in sign language classes for children.

It doesn’t matter what kind of learner your child is, auditory or visual. Attending sign language classes for children will not only improve either learning skill but will help with other skill sets like reading and writing. The most important are always challenging your child with new activities daily to promote constant growth and teaching to sign is a very important ability.

If you’re ready to start, you can select some rather affordable sign language book on Amazon or check with your local library if not the internet. In case you want more help with sign languages classes for children, check out Colorado springs day care. Colorado Springs preschool also offers excellent classes to improve visual and auditory learners with sign language classes for toddlers.

You can contact our Colorado Springs child care here. I wish you and your child the best of luck. Happy signing!

What is the Difference Between Preschool and Daycare?

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If you want to start your child’s education early, you may need a preschool.  If you need child care in a positive environment, you may need a day care.  The process of evaluating each can be confusing. It can also be hard to tell the difference between preschool and day care.  There are distinct differences between them which may sway your decision in either direction.

How Preschools and Day Cares are Similar

When looking for a good Colorado Springs child care facility, you will want to check the details of each.  Both preschool and day care centers should have licensed and accredited teachers and caretakers. Both preschool and day care centers should have a structured curriculum.  This structure will give your kids a proper pre-kindergarten or supplemental education.

The cost is about the same for your child with either choice in Colorado Springs.  Don’t think that preschool should to be more expensive.  If you find that preschools are more expensive, it might be a better idea to save money and enroll your child into day care.  Either choice should provide a great education for your child.

How Preschool and Day Care Differ

difference between day care and preschool - Young Scholars AcademyBoth preschools and day cares can give your kids the education they need to excel in kindergarten.  The first big distinction between preschool and day care are the age limit differences.  Preschools are designed for children ages three to five. They lay the foundation for kindergarten.  Day cares accept a wide range of ages.  They care for children in households where both parents work.

Because of the limited age range, preschools tend to have a specific curriculum aimed at pre-kindegarten children.  But is a preschool considered a preschool only if there is a focused curriculum?  The short answer is no. While day care centers are often seen as babysitting solutions. Many also have focused and structured curriculums.  These are usually geared for children of different ages.  These centers can tend be larger to accommodate different age groups.

One important thing to consider is that you may need to be more involved with your preschool.  For example, if your child gets sick, you would need to come in to take care of the problem.  Some preschools also require your child to be properly potty trained.  Preschools also have stricter rules then day care centers.  A day care centers’ emphasis is on caring for your children while you are working.

Another consideration will be their hours of operation. Preschools tend to have shorter hours and often operate on the regular school calendar.  Day cares are generally more flexible. They have hours to focus on caring for children with working parents.  Day care is the preferred option for households with working parents as they need to pick up their children after work.

Other Things to Look For

There are other things to consider when looking for a Colorado Springs child care center.  For example, some centers will have music and art programs to help your kids develop their creative brains. Other centers may have language classes to get your kids started on a second language at an early age. While these programs are nice, not all Colorado Springs preschools offer these programs. Try to focus on what is most important to you and your child when deciding on a Colorado Springs day care or preschool.

You may want to avoid child care centers that have an accelerated education curriculum unless your child has already started kindergarten.  Understanding that child care centers provide a foundation for education is helpful.  Toddlers may not be able to comprehend or keep up with the details of accelerated education. These centers charge more than average preschools because of the advanced education level.

If you’re looking for a reputable Colorado Springs child care center, you should consider the Young Scholars Academy. We offer education for a wide age range, have diverse child care programs, and also have before/after school programs for busy parents.  Contact us to learn more about how we operate and how we can accommodate to your needs.

Kindergarten Readiness

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Since that precious moment they were born, your child has been soaking up a lot of knowledge. Much of this knowledge isn’t taught in schools. Though we may not think of it in these terms, something as seemingly simple as learning to crawl and then taking those first steps requires both a tremendous amount of biological development and growth and cognitive acquisition.

By the time a your child reaches three years of age, they are likely talking and interacting with the world and others in ways that are going to have profound effects later in life. At around this stage, you may start thinking about the exciting day that they start their first day of kindergarten. But you may have some concerns about kindergarten readiness. Is your child ready for kindergarten? Below we will examine some of the kindergarten readiness indicators.

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

Kindergarten Readiness
Kindergarten Readiness is the goal at Young Scholars Academy.

The question can cause many parents anxiety, especially if this is their first child to go kindergarten. There are both social and cognitive benchmarks that indicate kindergarten readiness. The social indicators include the ability to play and interact with other children in an appropriate way, an awareness of sharing and taking turns, handling toys and other materials properly and putting them in their proper place. Other behavior indicators include an understanding of basic safety and asking for help when it is needed.

Cognitive and intellectual indicators of kindergarten readiness include the ability to sustain engagement with an activity and a genuine interest in learning. The ability to follow along with the words of a song, form complete sentences most of the time, and has little difficulty with simple puzzles.

For a detailed list of kindergarten readiness indicators, check out this great kindergarten readiness checklist. It will help you track and document your child’s progress towards that first day of school!

Kindergarten Readiness Programs

Kindergarten Readiness programs are a great way to ensure that any gaps in our child’s readiness are filled. Preschool is a great way to prepare your child for kindergarten. Preschool programs have been shown to give kids the social and intellectual skills they need to have a successful kindergarten experience.

Choosing a preschool is not an easy task and it is important that you ensure that you are enrolling your little scholar in a quality preschool experience. Make sure you consider the things that indicate a quality kindergarten readiness program. Here is an article that can help you to choose a good preschool or kindergarten readiness program.

Kindergarten Readiness Programs at Young Scholars Academy 

Young Scholars Academy of Colorado Springs is dedicated to providing quality childcare programs with a focus on kindergarten readiness. With a comprehensive set of daycare and childcare programs for infants to school age children, Young Scholars Academy is the place for all your childcare and early childcare education needs. Come check out our kindergarten readiness programs and contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!