Programs

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". Nelson Mandela

We offer a full day childcare program for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Within our childcare programs we offer a preschool program. Most of our children are enrolled on the full day childcare program; however, there are limited spaces available for our part-time preschool only experience including Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK).

Before and afterschool care is available for our school-age children (ages 5-8), as well as summer camp specifically designed for these students. We value and respect every family and each culture. We do not discriminate; all families are welcome regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, and sexual orientation.

Our programs are designed to enhance the development of the whole child which we achieve through art, music, language/literacy, science, visual discrimination, social studies, as well as physical development though gross motor and fine motor skills. We also utilize the Prevent Child Abuse Vermont’s Care For Kids program.

We are participants of the CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) - a federal food program that provides us the opportunity to serve all children in our care breakfast, lunch, and PM snack.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. CACFP also provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in afterschool care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, and adults over the age of 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in day care facilities. CACFP contributes to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children and adults in the United States.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
email: Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Toddler/Two-Year-Old Program

The toddler and two-year-olds at Littlest Lambs and Little Lambs Early Learning Centers currently utilize two assessment tools to evaluate the education and learning in our classrooms, they are the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) and the Ounce Scale (Ounces). Both ages groups utilize their own curricula, designed by their teachers, that is tailored to the individual classrooms interests and that also meets our 5-Star standards and VELS.

ASQ:

Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) is a developmental screening tool designed for use by early educators and health care professionals. It relies on parents as experts, is easy-to-use, family-friendly and creates the snapshot needed to catch delays and celebrate milestones.

Here are the five important areas of development that each questionnaire looks at:

Communication: Your child’s language skills, both what your child understands and what he or she can say.
Gross Motor: How your child uses their arms and legs and other large muscles for sitting, crawling, walking, running, and other activities.
Fine Motor: Your child’s hand and finger movement and coordination.
Problem Solving: How your child plays with toys and solves problems.
Personal-Social: Your child’s self-help skills and interactions with others.

How to complete the questionnaire:

Select the questionnaire & Ask the parent to complete the questionnaire.
The parent answers the questions. ASQ’s items are easy for parents to try with their child and respond to. Questions such as “Does your baby pick up a crumb or Cheerio with the tips of his thumb and a finger?” The parent answers yes, sometimes, or not yet then moves on to the next item. This process takes about 10–15 minutes.
Score the questionnaire. Then, compare the child’s scores to the cutoff points listed on the scoring sheet.
Discuss results with parents and determine next steps. Communicate the screening results to the child’s parents, and suggest resources for follow-up, monitoring, or further assessment if needed.

Ounce:

The Ounce Scale comprises three core components:

The Observation Record provides a focus for observing and documenting children’s everyday behaviors and provides data for making evaluations.
The Family Album offers a structure for parents to learn about and record their child’s development.
The Developmental Profile enables caregivers and other staff to evaluate each child’s development and progress over time, comparing their observations.

- Presents a highly reliable, criterion-referenced measure based on specific developmental standards.

- Helps meet Early Head Start and federal assessment requirements.

- Allows you to gather information from multiple perspectives, giving a more well-rounded picture of the child’s development.

- Takes a natural, whole-child approach to observation.

- Helps educate parents so that they can become more involved in decisions about their children.

- Supports early intervention for at-risk kids.

Designed for use with infants and toddlers, The Ounce Scale is organized around six major developmental areas:

Personal connections: How children show they trust you.
Feelings about self: How children express who they are.
Relationships with other children: What children do around other children.
Understanding and communicating: How children understand and communicate.
Exploration and problem solving: How children explore and figure things out.
Movement and coordination: How children move their bodies and use their hands to do things.

Preschool Program

At Little Lambs and Little Lambs Academy at Grace Early Learning Centers we utilize the Creative Curriculum, Handwriting Without Tears, and the Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) assessment program. Our goals and objectives for the children are aligned with the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS).

TSG:

- Research based and improves kindergarten readiness

- An approach that supports the whole-child

- Inclusive, Supports all children

- High Quality Materials to Elevate your classroom

- Rated higher than all other preschool curricula

Creative Curriculum:

- Differentiate learning for every child

- Build classroom community

- Inspire children with long-term project based and investigative learning

- Connect the dots between Curriculum and Assessment

- Celebrate children’s learning