sheffield preschool :: a child's day

Since 1983 the Sheffield Preschool program has provided a warm, rich, nurturing, and safe learning environment to families from Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Orinda, and Montclair. Our home-based program in the Le Conte district of Berkeley is small enough to provide individual attention to your child and large enough to foster the development of social skills that are so important to your child’s readiness for kindergarten and happiness in life.

The rich environment at Sheffield provides a structured routine that promotes creativity.

We focus on getting to know our children and families very well. You can depend on Sheffield to pay special attention to separation and individuation issues, using empathy and conflict resolution to help young children feel safe and become independent. Most children stay with us for two or three years of preschool before moving to embrace kindergarten.

A Typical Day at Sheffield Preschool

8:00 – 9:00	Set up for morning activity and snack, and welcoming early arrivals.
9:00 – 10:25	Arrival, free play, and/or structured activity with a teacher. Parents are invited to spend time with the children reading books, playing games, etc.
10:25	Clean-up.
10:30 – 11:00	Snack outside whenever possible: crackers, bread, fresh and dried fruit, cheese, water, etc. *This is the time we celebrate birthdays and graduations.
10:30 – 1:00	Free play outside: Running, jumping, climbing, sandbox, riding cars, dancing, balls, games, painting, arts and crafts, finger-painting, reading, storytelling, manicures, continuing the morning projects, and whatever we and the children can think of.
11:45 – 12:30	Circle and movement: Greetings, announcements, yoga, songs, finger plays, musical instruments, dancing to music (with or without scarves), storytelling, books, etc. Most of our circle activities are curriculum related.
“It’s beautiful to watch what they cover in circle time. I can clearly see the benefits in both my granddaughters who went to Sheffield...” – Mary T. (grandmother)
12:30	Lunch, outside if possible.
1:00	Pick-up for morning children. It is especially important for parents to pick up on time on rainy days!
1:00 – 3:00	Nap time. We play story tapes until 2:15 or so, then music until everyone is up.
2:30 – 3:30	Wake-up and quiet free play inside or active play outside.
3:30 – 4:00	Snack: Same as in morning, but with additional hot foods such as macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, quesadillas, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
4:00 – 4:30	Second circle, Monday – Thursday.
4:30 – 5:30	Free play with games, reading, and art projects inside and/or outside, depending upon the weather.
4:30 – 5:30	Pick-up, although parents can always pick up their children at any time. School closes promptly at 5:30. Please arrive by 5:20 p.m. to allow for a smooth transition from school to home for your child.
	Note: This schedule is subject to daily, monthly, and yearly change.

The Monthly Calendar

Every month, a calendar is prepared outlining the major activities for each day. Children are eager to know what they will be doing, and looking at the calendar each morning can signal appropriate clothing to wear, and whether the youngster should bring an item for an activity or show and tell, bring a bag lunch for the park, etc.

Click to enlarge the
sample calendars at right

“One glance at the activity calendar tells you just how much thought and care goes into the program at Sheffield...

The projects the kids do here really are amazing.”

– Douglas F. (grandfather)

“You know the expression ‘Everything you need to know to be successful you learn in kindergarten...’ well, June Sheffield moved that up to preschool!”

– Mary T. (grandmother)

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Toys from Home

Except for toys that are needed in the very first days of school to help ease your child’s transition from home to school, we ask that you leave your child’s toys at home or in your car. If an item is brought to school on a non-sharing day, it could get lost forever. However, if you have a book or record that may be of interest to all of the children, we always appreciate your bringing this in to share with the group. In fact, we enjoy it if books or records are left with us for several days at a time. We’ll keep track of them and return them to you.

Star of the Week

As Star of the Week, your child will have the opportunity to share something from home, with many opportunities to lead and contribute, including ringing the clean-up bell, leading circle games, choosing circle songs, helping to set up snack, first to the bathroom at meal times, etc. During the special week, we will post the photograph of each Star of the Week on the pre-K door above the family photographs. The child is invited to bring in a special snack and/or photos and books from home. Star of the Week will always take place the last two weeks of the month, and we will rotate the children’s times, so everyone will get a turn to be the Star of the Week at least twice a year.

What to Wear to School

Please provide simple clothing that is free of complicated fastenings. Think of messy art materials and other messy activities, and provide clothing that is easily washable and not too special. Temperatures vary in our yard from day to day, sometimes from hour to hour, so each child always needs to have layers of clothing to be comfortable playing outside.

Remember

We go outside as much as possible. For your child’s comfort, provide layers and a hat.
Label all outer garments, including hats and boots.
Children in diapers should have a bag containing 3–5 diapers, a plastic bag for wet clothing, and a complete change of clothing, including socks.

Spare Clothing

For children who are toilet trained, please provide us with a shirt, pants, underwear, and socks. We will keep the clothing in a box labeled with your child’s name.

Rest Time

Bring a blanket for your child to leave with us for naps. We provide small pillows, pillowcases, mats, and sheets. A stuffed animal or doll from home can be comforting. We play tapes of stories and music while the children rest. Sometimes nappers like to bring tapes from home to share during this time. Everyone rests together for 45 minutes to an hour. Those children who don’t fall asleep, or who wake up, play quietly inside until everyone is awake and ready for afternoon snack. Usually, everyone is up by 4:00 p.m., which is the time we usually serve our afternoon snack.

The End of the Day for Your Child

We suggest that you arrive early to pick up your child to allow for a transition period. During this time, the parents reconnect with their children, watch their children at play, hear about their child’s morning or full day, and collect all the child’s belongings. The best part about this is that it gives children the opportunity to have one foot in each world, if only for a short time. A relaxed transition time allows them to say good-bye for the day to their friends and often makes going home easier.