Preschool (Pre-K3 – Pre-K4)
Building a Foundation for Lifelong Learning Through Language and Love
The early years are a precious time to ignite a lifelong love of learning. At Maryel, our Preschool program provides a nurturing, teacher-guided environment where structured learning is seamlessly blended with creative play and opportunities for exploration.
Our Preschool curriculum combines full Spanish immersion with a proven readiness program, equipping children with the foundational skills needed for a successful transition to elementary school. Maryel’s exceptional, NYS-certified teachers create a safe, loving environment where our youngest learners thrive. With small class sizes (maximum 10 students) and two dedicated teachers per class, every child receives the individualized attention they deserve.
Research shows that early immersion is the most effective way for children to develop confidence and fluency in a new language and culture. Maryel’s full immersion model welcomes students of all Spanish proficiency levels, as young minds naturally absorb and master second—and even third—languages with remarkable ease.
Maryel Preschool is more than a classroom; it’s a joyful and enriching community where your child will grow, explore, and develop a solid foundation for their educational journey.
Parents will not just hear from their sons and daughters about how much fun they had and what they learned, but are invited to be active participants — through parent time every morning to a range of special events, picnics, theme parties, and book-reading activities.
Maryel’s preschool curriculum is divided into eleven areas of learning:
Our preschoolers develop a strong sense of self-awareness by recognizing their own unique qualities and abilities, as well as those of their classmates. They begin to understand their needs, perspectives, and emotions, while also cultivating empathy and sensitivity toward the needs, viewpoints, and feelings of others.
During this pivotal stage in their development, children start to grasp the external rules that guide their behavior across different settings, gradually gaining greater autonomy. They learn the value of friendship, trust, honesty, and mutual support, building a foundation for meaningful relationships.
In our PreK-3 and PreK-4 programs, students are encouraged to embrace diversity by accepting their classmates for who they are, understanding that everyone shares the same rights, and taking responsibility for their actions. These experiences help nurture confident, compassionate, and socially responsible individuals.
Children in PreK 3 are introduced to phonics and enjoy daily exposure to great children’s books. Reading and writing readiness occurs through word play, proper pencil grip, and writing upper case letters. All lessons are taught with hands-on materials using a multi-sensory approach. Each child has regular opportunities to lead the class to instill confidence and leadership.
In PreK 4 students have morning and afternoon reading periods where they enjoy selections from expansive, in-class libraries. PreK 4 continues to emphasize proper pencil grip, and students learn to write all letters in both upper and lower cases.
Mathematics in the primary years focuses on helping students develop their understanding of mathematical concepts and skills that can be applied in everyday life as well as for continued learning in mathematics. Learners build a thorough base of computational fluency and expand their thinking, reasoning and communication skills through a mathematical approach to problem solving. Learners use real-life contexts to engage in mathematizing and modeling problems that they can then analyze, manipulate, solve and interpret. Through creating and sharing their own mathematical ideas and arguments with each other, our students are supported in becoming more playful, reflective, resilient, and open minded mathematician.
During Social Studies time, children establish relationships between their present and ancestral families as well as their community through objects, daily situations, and cultural practices. They learn to distinguish and explain some characteristics of their own culture and others alike and recognize that human beings are different, that we are all important, and that we have the ability to participate in society. Children are given the freedom and encouragement to express their ideas, to share with others, and to enjoy the interactions with other classmates.
Students observe living things and what occurs within their natural elements and experiment with different non-hazardous elements, objects, and materials to find answers to questions about the natural world.
Our preschoolers learn to formulate explanations for the natural phenomena they observe and develop predictions based on what they know and/or assume about the natural environment. The main topics are seasons, plants, nature, animals, and insects.
Children are able to sing songs, create them, and accompany them with either conventional musical instruments or ones they create. They develop a foundation of musical skills by experiencing music through physical action and written notation. Children learn to match pitch with their voices and to keep a steady beat both with their bodies and with instruments and communicate sensations and feelings awakened by the songs and music they hear.
Children learn to express themselves through body movement in various situations with both singing and musical accompaniment and are encouraged to communicate sensations and emotions.
The Maryel Theater Program encourages students to represent real or imaginary characters and situations through games and dramatic expressions. Our little artists learn to identify the motive, theme, or message of the theatrical piece as well as the characteristics of the protagonist of some literary works or theatrical presentations and discuss them.
Children are encouraged to “play” yoga and experience how their breath and body move together in a fun-filled way.
The Maryel philosophy of teaching yoga to children provides kids with a variety of yoga tools that they can take away from yoga class and use throughout their lives. Animals, nature and other objects come alive in our classes; as we move, we learn to stretch our bodies in new creative ways. Through basic and challenging yoga poses, partner poses, group poses, yoga games, mindfulness activities, music and stories, we promote strength, flexibility, coordination, and body awareness.
Breathing and visualization techniques teach focus, relaxation and self-control. This program also promotes inner-strength, confidence and self-esteem; a feeling of well-being and respect for others; and, love for one’s self, inside and out.
Children develop gross motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and body awareness through sports activities. They are able to balance and control movements that require strength, resistance, flexibility, and impulse in games and physical exercise activities.
During our Health Education Program children practice basic preventive and safety measures to protect their health as well as prevent accidents and risks at school and beyond.
They participate in social health actions, environmental conservation, and care for natural resources in their environment.
Starting at the surprising age of 3, our chess program introduces children to this 1500-year-old game. Each lesson tells stories that transform the chess pieces into a memorable cast of characters.
Our preschoolers are encouraged to play this wonderful game to improve concentration and memory, foster logic and critical thinking, and improve math skills and reading.
Emotional Intelligence can make a big difference in children lives. Emotions drive learning, decision-making, creativity, relationships, and health. The Maryel Emotional Intelligence Program teaches children how to develop their emotional intelligence. Children learn how to recognize, label, and manage their emotional state in order to unlock their intellectual and critical-thinking potential. We are proud to be pioneers in the field of Social and Emotional Learning.
