St. Matthew’s Weekday School is an outreach of St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church. The Weekday School provides a part-day educational program with extended day options that cultivates school preparedness, social and emotional intelligence, and Christian faith enrichment for children between the ages of 18 months and twelve. The Weekday School believes that children of all backgrounds and faith are precious to God, and as such all children deserve a safe environment in which to learn and grow. Our school year operates from September through May. We offer a twelve week summer camp during June, July, and August.
St. Matthew’s Weekday School has a daily enrollment of 80 children. Classes are typically comprised of up to eighteen students, a lead teacher, and one or more assistant teachers in the Preschool classes and seven students, a lead teacher, and one or more assistant teachers in the Toddler classes. For enrichment, there is a music and movement teacher on staff. We have a STEM studio time that is lead by a resource teacher. All teachers are experienced professionals who truly enjoy working with young children
We’re proud to offer Before & After Care for Wakefield Forest Elementary School kids, grade K-6! The children enjoyed planned activities and outdoor play.
About Us
Our Philosophy: Children’s early years provide a foundation for growth and development for the rest of their lives. The program at St. Matthew’s Weekday School is based on the philosophy that each child develops at his/her own rate. To facilitate and maximize individual development, we create an environment that encourages children’s curiosity about the world and provides opportunities for thinking creatively and making decisions and choices within appropriate limits. Above all, St. Matthew’s provides an environment where love and respect are shown for each child and where all children learn to love and respect themselves and one another.
Our Curriculum: Funshine Express Early Learning Curricula
Theory & Research
Research shows that relationships play a critical role in the brain development of infants and toddlers. We incorporate activities to help adults build strong relationships by paying attention to children's feelings, interests, and needs. Active learning and choice are encouraged so that infants and toddlers can grow and develop in a loving environment.
As toddlers transition to preschool age, they learn more by doing, and they need many opportunities to explore, grow, and make meaningful choices. Our activities foster creativity and promote emotional, cognitive, social, language, and physical development. Developmentally appropriate activities build self-esteem and intrinsic motivation for learning.
The activities in our curricula are designed to help you address each child socially, physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Our curricula stimulate thinking, reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving. The curricula are designed to be flexible, giving you the opportunity to pick and choose from our activities to meet the individual needs of the children in your group.
Based on current early learning research, the materials we suggest in our curricula actively engage children and support differences in learning styles, maturity, and interests. This guarantees that our curricula have the depth to meet educational standards being implemented throughout the United States and Canada.
Our Program goals
The curricula will be based on current research and sound educational theories of early childhood learning and development.
Activities will promote strong relationships between children and the adults who care for them.
We will provide a wide range of hands-on, interactive materials allowing children to experiment, explore, and make choices while interacting with their surroundings.
The program will encourage involvement of family members and naturally incorporate cultural diversity into each child’s learning.
All activities will be aligned with our Early Learning and Development Continuum.
OUR CURRICULUM
Emphasizes safety. Note that some of our activities may present safety issues. Before beginning the activities, ask families' permission and inquire about food allergies and religious, cultural, or other restrictions. You choose only the activities that are appropriate for the children in your group, and supervision is a requirement.
Provides consistency and a predictable routine, which is comforting to children. Children are relaxed and ready to learn when they can anticipate what is happening next. As children move through developmental milestones, they will need to practice skills at which they are successful. The skill levels will vary greatly with any group of children, even those that are all the same chronological age. Only you know how long to stick with an activity for the benefit of the children in your care. Activities may change or be repeated. You may spend fewer or more minutes on a specific activity; the suggested daily/weekly routines are a guide.
Includes open-ended activities and materials that build a learning community in your program. When materials can be used in a variety of ways, more children benefit. Activities that allow for multi-ages and multi-skill levels will include more children. Older children or those with more advanced skills will be models for younger children or those who have not yet attained the skill. Activities in this curriculum encourage children to work together, share, and be successful at their individual skill level.
Promotes multi-sensory experiences. Many opportunities are included in our activities that allow children to learn through touch, smell, taste, vision, and hearing. We know that children learn best when information is provided through all the senses. Inquire with families about scent, plant, or animal sensitivities and/or allergies the children may have before beginning any new activities.
Invites exploration and discovery. The activities in our curricula include open-ended questions to promote language development, thinking, and problem-solving. When you model curiosity and wonder and encourage divergent thinking, you will be helping children reach new levels of development and deeper understanding of concepts.
eDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
For more information about Matthew’s Weekday School, contact:
Weekday School Information
Weekday School Office (703) 978-6242
Weekday School Email: wds@stmatthewsumc.org
Shirley Smith
Director
Asst. Director
Latisha Jordan