Dover PreK Overview

 For over a decade, the Dover Pre-K program has provided its participants with an educational foundation that contributes to success throughout their academic careers.  Three, four and five year old children are introduced to the school environment in a gradual and developmentally appropriate way.  For three hours a day, three or five days a week, families opt to send their children to Pre-kindergarten in order to take advantage of all that Dover School has to offer.

The head teacher, Carrie Dix, has a Masters of Education from Keene State College and has been working with young children for nine years in both educational and recreational settings.  We strive to provide a safe, caring, stimulating environment, where children have the time and opportunity to take appropriate risks and to explore their world creatively.  We value the differences in children and recognize the wide span of children’s needs, learning rates and styles.  A positive, proactive approach is always used when a child may have special needs.

The Dover Pre-Kindergarten is a Five Star provider in the Vermont STARS Program (STep Ahead Recognition System).  Our curriculum is closely aligned with the Vermont Early Learning Standards and the Vermont Grade Expectations.  We use Teaching Strategies Gold throughout the year to assess the four and five year old group of children as they demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways.  The Second Step Curriculum is used to teach vital social-emotional skills, such as conflict resolution techniques, feeling identification and ways to calm down independently, which continue to be useful as the children get older.

Our program exists in the elementary school therefore we have access to all of its staff and facilities. This means that we get to play in the gym when the weather is bad as well as participate in Physical Education, World Language, Health and Music on a weekly basis.  The Pre-K also has Library and All School Sing twice a month and Art Class for twenty-four weeks per year.  Our classroom is equipped with multiple types of current technology including laptops, tablets and a Smart board.   Students are encouraged to become active, responsible, independent users of age appropriate websites and games.  Time limits for use of all technology is carefully monitored throughout our day and week.  It is the goal of the Dover Pre-Kindergarten Program to facilitate learning by using a variety of instructional models, strategies and resources to support the development of the whole child.