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Babies hold a very special place in our hearts at Crabapple Academy. We offer a loving and comforting environment where snuggles, songs and stories are a part of our daily routine.
We realize that infancy is an important time, a time when feelings of security, confidence and independence begin to develop. We are dedicated to maintaining the strong bonds of warmth and security that your child receives at home, and are committed to meeting your child’s physical, psychological, emotional and developmental needs while your infant is in our care.
At Crab apple Academy, we place great emphasis on the individual needs of each child. Our Infant Suite, with our lower infant/teacher ratios, provides an encouraging atmosphere for your baby to develop at his or her own pace. Our homey and spacious room is specifically designed to be comfortable and stimulating, and is equipped with pictures, mobiles, mirrors, climbing and crawling equipment, a barre for learning to pull up and an array of educational toys. We provide outdoor time for our infants. Our teachers are dedicated and trained to provide healthy brain and muscle stimulation through the teaching of sign language, the singing of lullabies and learning songs and the reading of colorful word books.
We realize that part of your infant’s unique needs will be a personalized and ever-changing feeding plan. Our staff is dedicated to the upkeep of your baby’s “Infant Feeding Plan.” We support both formula and breast milk plans and are devoted to either “on demand” or “timed” feeding schedules, dependent on parent choice. We are happy to introduce foods at whatever rate you choose. We enjoy watching our infants learn important skills while they enjoy finger foods and the wide array of sensory experiences that different foods provide!
We understand that infancy is a time of a still developing immune system, and for that reason we are very particular about cleanliness and germ control in our infant room. Our parents are informed immediately if an infant runs a fever, exhibits vomiting, acts unusually fussy/uncomfortable or has diarrhea. Cribs are never shared and sheets are washed daily. Toys are sanitized daily, as are mattresses. Stringent sanitation procedures are performed between every diaper change.
The parents of our infants are encouraged to “hang out” (a “rock and talk,” we call it), in our Infant Suite. We realize that it is always hard to leave your baby in another person’s care. We want to ease parents’ minds by allowing them to get to know our teachers and to observe our teacher/infant interaction. We welcome you and your baby to our Infant Suite and look forward to creating a wonderful relationship with you both.
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Toddlers are those wonderful little people from twelve to twenty-four months who are just discovering that they can run, climb, talk and demonstrate their newly-discovered independence. Important developmental changes are taking place in a toddler’s active little body and brain, and an encouraging and nurturing environment is key to this development.
Crabapple Academy understands the importance of a low teacher/child ratio at this key stage of development. Positive, personal and consistent interaction takes place daily. Our toddlers are encouraged to explore the w orld around them through opportunities to “work” independently by sitting at the table and using a spoon to eat lunch, climbing onto our specially designed step to look out the window and choosing different books to “read” during free play.
Teacher guided activities are also employed to encourage our toddlers to learn new skills. Our toddlers do an art activity every day, from “mark making” with crayons to stamping with paint and halved apples. Gross motor and fine motor activities are implemented daily through games and songs.
Ms. Kitty, who has taught the class for over 19 years, keeps to a lovely routine, but keeps our toddlers learning new skills as well. Our toddlers enjoy singing along to a favorite book/song, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and they love to rock and roll to the songs “Popcorn” and “The Muffin Man!"
You will be amazed at all that your toddler will learn to do, say, sing and understand from joining our Wonderful Ones class. We look forward to joining you in enjoying this and age of wonder and delight.
Our Terrific Twos
If you are the parent of a two year old, we're sure you've noticed, Terrific Twos are the Napoleons of the child world. Short, dynamic, curious, fearless... and they want it all!!!
It is important that at this developmental time that a two year old is allowed to begin making small, teacher-guided choices. Boundaries and consequences must be put in place to begin teaching the concepts of self-control and responsibility.
 Our two year olds are kept busy throughout the day with both academic and life skills activities. Our low teacher/student ratio allows time for one-on-one learning. Budding academic skills such as learning Spanish, singing phonics and letter recognition songs, reading books and developing small motor skills are encouraged and developed through play.
At an age when it can be frustrating to hear, “I do it MYSELF!,” our teachers find opportunities to teach. Skills such as feeding themselves with utensils, dressing themselves, drinking from a “real” cup, brushing their teeth, and using a real toddler sized potty are encouraged daily. Social and language skills are also making huge strides at this age, and our teachers focus on ways to encourage getting along and using vocabulary instead of tantrums to express wants.
All of this learning goes on in an environment of laughter, fun, music and lots of dancing (which is also great for gross motor skills!). At any point in the day (except naptime) you may walk by our twos class and see a group of our Terrific Twos bopping and hopping around to happy tunes.
The twos are a very special age at Crabapple Academy. We look forward to the privilege of getting to know you and your child at this age when they are ready to conquer their little world.
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Preschoolers are full of energy, eagerness and curiosity. Creativity and imagination begins to blossom in every medium: dramatic play, art, storytelling, science and motor skills. Vocabulary and intellectual skills are expanding rapidly. We begin to see our preschoolers express ideas, solve problems and plan ahead.
Our curriculum is designed to challenge, interest and encourage our Preschoolers. Each child is taught to begin to think, reason, question and experiment. Positive self-concept is fostered when children make connections themselves, rather than simply hearing and reciting information.
 Each week’s curriculum is based on a weekly theme (ie: Famous People and Inventions, Wind and Kites, Sailors and Boats, Farm Animals, Seeds and Plants, etc). Each day we include the following activities: story reading and library time to encourage literacy, phonics and letter recognition songs and games, art creating and appreciation activities, music, dancing and manipulative activities such as lacing cards (engaging small motor skills) and a math and science activity (such as counting bears or sorting shells).
To encourage group interaction and respect for teachers, peers and our country, each day our Preschoolers begin with Circle Time. This is a time when the teacher guides the children to discuss the weekly theme, the date, the weather that day, etc. Each child is assigned a particular “job” (ie: lights monitor, line leader, weather reporter, flag holder, etc) for the day. The Pledge of Allegiance is recited in unison. Our Preschoolers then sing along to catchy songs featuring phonics, sign language, Spanish or letter recognition through use of letter flash cards.
Our Preschoolers play outdoors twice daily. We understand that at this age children need fresh air and plenty of room to run, so the Preschool playground is large and full of wonderful gross motor activities such as slides, swings, tricycles and a large sand and grass area. We understand that, in order to engage their small motor skills, children may have to get their hands in the sand, dirt and leaves and we encourage healthy outdoor play. If your child comes home with a little dirt on their clothes, we are confident they will also be wearing a smile on their face.
We anticipate and expect your child to learn a great deal in our Preschool program intellectually, socially, emotionally and in gross and fine motor skills. We promise to make our curriculum fun and challenging. We also promise to make the Preschool class atmosphere loving, respectful, kind and comfortable for both you and your child.
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For our children who have success in a structured and teacher directed environment, Crabapple Academy offers a more personalized Private Pre-Kindergarten class. Our Private Pre K class has a lower student/teacher ratio and offers a variety of challenging areas of study with an emphasis on reading, writing, math, science, music and art.
Because the Private Pre K curriculum is not dictated by the state, we have the luxury of combining the best elements of several programs and are allowed freedom to explore areas of specific interest to the children.
For example, if we have a group of children that are really into “superheroes,” we will work that theme into the lesson plans and activities (i.e.: sort the action figures by pattern, features or shape; or have the children dress up as Superman and “fly/run” with arms outstretched from one area of the playground to another to encourage gross motor development; or read books about historical “supermen” like George Washington or Martin Luther King). Our teachers take the time to get to know your child and to find out exactly what gets them excited about learning. This enthusiasm is key to helping your child develop a lifelong love of learning.
 Our Private Pre K day is scheduled Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM and will not close for any of the public school holidays or teacher work days. There are no required dates of attendance, so it is a good option for parents that are interested in enrollment flexibility. Before and after Pre K curriculum hours, the children join their friends in our child care groups for free play and playground activities.
Our Private Pre K students are not required to meet the age requirement of the state so are able to enter this program if their birthday falls in the early part of the school year. This does not change the age requirement of 5 years by September 1st for public kindergarten so some children attend Pre K for 2 years.
Some lessons include the entire group (music and story time for example) but much of the day is spent in small groups of about five children so that the students can work under the close attention of the teacher on fine motor skills, memory exercises, sequencing, patterning, phonics, etc. We have our Private Pre K teachers speak to nearby elementary school Kindgergarten teachers. We find out exactly what local expectations would be for an ideal student entering Fulton County Kindergarten and work toward these specific goals with our Private Pre K students. This way we remain confident that our Private Pre K graduates will remain at the top of their classes when they move on to Kindergarten.
Afterschool
Crabapple Academy offers a caring and consistent atmosphere for school children after a long day at school. When the “schoolers,” as we call them, enter the doors of Crabapple Academy in the afternoon, they are greeted with kind smiles and a nutritious snack. The children have an opportunity to talk about their day and to socialize with their friends while they snack. With our low teacher/student ratios, any children with homework are given plenty of time and ample opportunity for one-on-one help each day. Once homework is completed, the schoolers have the choice of either playing outdoors in their own play area (equipped with a basketball court, “big kid” sized playground and swings, and a large open area for ball play), creating art, playing board or organized games or taking turns playing educational computer games.
 One afternoon a week (usually Friday) is set aside for a fun-filled and educational activity: cooking, having a friendly soccer game with another center, creating a “science” project like cooking play dough, making a unique art project or putting on a puppet show for the younger children.
Our familiar and cozy environment allows the school-aged children the feeling of coming “home,” while still providing academic support and encouragement. Our structured activities and emphasis on wholesome recreation keep our schoolers from falling into poor habits, and our teachers are proud of the well-rounded, polite and happy kids that their program produces!
We welcome students to participate in the extra activities we plan on Teacher Work Days, school holidays, Early Release Days and during Summer Break. Our teachers look forward to the privilege of helping your school-aged child enjoy the transitional hours between school and home.
Crabapple Academy buses from: Sweet Apple Elementary School, Hembree Springs Elementary School, Elkins Pointe (by special request) Middle School, Crabapple Crossing Elementary School, Summit Hill Elementary School, Birmingham Falls Elementary School and Northwestern Middle School (by special request).
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