The Upper Saddle River Children’s Academy offers a teacher-guided program. We believe that providing engaging, interactive, planned lessons and learning through play and self-guided exploration are not mutually exclusive concepts. Teacher demonstration and explanation provides high-quality play and increased learning inspired by the teacher’s guidance. Our curricular focus is on cognitive, social-emotional, physical and cultural development incorporating whole, small group, and individual activities to actively engage all learners.

Our thoughtfully enriched preschool program and curriculum reflect the cultural abundance and diversity of community. Our curriculum offers a great deal of enhancement including Art, Yoga, Movement, Music, STEM, Cooking, Computers and Field Trips. Our indoor gym and outdoor play area encourage gross motor and imaginative experiences. Sensory exploration through sand and water play, finger painting, dramatic play and block building expand our well-rounded curriculum.

Our curriculum consists of thought-provoking, developmentally-appropriate activities based on thematic units. These units focus on children’s interests and open pathways to learning more about the world and the surrounding community. Our dynamic curriculum provides openings for reflective learning, free-play and “choice time” with a degree of structure and routine built into the day.

At The Upper Saddle River Children’s Academy, technology will be integrated into the curriculum for our full day Pre-K and Kindergarten students in a purposeful and developmentally appropriate manner.  Use of technology will be explored once a week with our computer teacher and a small group of four students for 30 minutes to enrich the preschool classroom experience, complementing rather than replacing existing modalities.