Early Childhood Center Curriculum

The Second Step Early Learning Program is structured around five core units, each broken down into weekly themes that focus on building self-regulation and social-emotional learning skills through evidence-based practices.

Throughout the school year, we cover the following key units: Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, Friendship Skills, Problem Solving, and& Transitioning to Kindergarten.

Second Step supports our youngest Regals in developing key skills like listening, managing emotions, staying focused, and building positive relationships, providing a strong foundation for their academic growth.

At the Regina Early Childhood Center, we are excited to offer a dedicated S.T.E.A.M Classroom that inspires creativity and curiosity in our little Regals. S.T.E.A.M stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and our students engage in weekly lessons and hands-on experiments designed to foster a love for these subjects. In addition to teacher-led activities, the STEAM classroom features a variety of manipulative toy buckets, encouraging fine motor skill development through exploration and play. The classroom was freshly repainted and redecorated in the summer of 2024 to further ignite our students' creativity and enthusiasm for learning.

We are also proud of our Nature Center, a unique outdoor classroom created through the vision of Mary Pechous, who helped found the Regina Early Childhood Center Preschool in 1989. Mary was passionate about outdoor learning, and when the center was expanding, she proposed adopting an outdoor classroom. Through her efforts, the Nature Center was born.

Designed to be a safe and enriching environment, the Nature Center fosters a deep connection to nature and hands-on learning. The space includes garden boxes, hanging plants, bird feeders, and a music corner, all providing opportunities for students to explore, discover, and take ownership of their surroundings. Our students actively participate in caring for and maintaining the outdoor classroom, as well as engaging in bi-weekly lessons from our assistant teachers during the months of August-November and March-May.

We feel grateful to be able to bless students with language enrichment opportunities through our daily routine instruction by our exceptional staff. We have lessons that introduce both Spanish and American Sign Language to familiarize students with different types of communication.