At Smart Beginnings ELC when it comes to curriculum, we feel that learning and development for all children in our care is a priority and should be high quality. To adhere to these standards and to provide the best developmentally appropriate practices we follow all of the Missouri Early Learning Standards. MELS are a framework of expectations for what children can do from infancy to kindergarten entry. Each standard includes a description of what the child may be doing to demonstrate meeting the standard, as well as activities to give adults examples of ways to support the child in learning and mastering a skill or knowledge. Using the MELS promotes the understanding of early learning and development, provides a comprehensive set of early childhood educational expectations for children’s development and learning, and guides the design and implementation of curriculum, assessment and instructional practices with young children. The MELS were originally developed from 2001 to 2005 by a group of individuals whose backgrounds are representative of the early childhood community in Missouri, including classroom teachers, childcare providers, parent educators, content experts, higher education faculty, and state and partner agency staff.

In theme-based teaching, various activities are linked together by their content. The theme or topic runs through everything that happens in the classroom, acting as a connecting thread for both students and teachers.

Overall, theme-based curricula provide a structured framework while allowing flexibility to adapt to children’s interests and experiences. They create engaging learning environments that foster curiosity and exploration.

At Smart Beginnings ELC we feel that Language and Literacy Development is an essential part of early childhood development and growth. Jolly Phonics teaches children to read and write using synthetic phonics, which is widely recognized as the most effective way to teach children to read and write in English. Over the past 35 years, Jolly Phonics immense progress has been studied in numerous research projects, the results of which led to phonics becoming central to the UK curriculum. Jolly Phonics is used in over 150 countries worldwide, empowering thousands of teachers who transform children’s literacy ability. As the leading synthetic phonics publisher, and the most experienced, we offer a 7-year school program that teaches not only phonics, but spelling, punctuation and grammar too. This program helps children to meet and exceed the expectations of the Phonics Screening Check and National Curriculum. This program teaches language and literacy skills using multi-sensory and active, with fun actions, stories and songs.

The Signing Time Curriculum and Student Program is based on the award-winning Baby Sign Language System, Baby Signing Time, and contains fun-filled lessons and activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. This curriculum allows children of all ages to begin learning how to communicate their needs, what their feeling, what they want without getting frustrated, let you know if they are hurt or sick, and gives them ways to express their feelings. When signs are used in your infant, toddler program, and preschool center, there are fewer incidents of tantrums, hitting, biting, and other types of aggression. In addition to creating more peaceful learning environments, signing helps you address the learning styles of all the children in your care. When signs and words are used together, auditory learners hear the word, visual learners see the sign, and kinesthetic learners can use their hands to make the sign. Signing Time is the only early learning system to combine the power of music and sign language to create exceptional learning experiences for children from birth through elementary school. Research shows that signing in the classroom can build vocabulary and enhance social interaction for students of all abilities.