The Sycamore Tree School Age Summer Camp

Why choose Sycamore Tree for your school age child?

We believe that our program and services offer development appropriate curriculum and we strive to enhance social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth in young children. Our program fosters Christian values, curiosity, creativity and self-esteem by taking into account children’s abilities and interests. Child initiated and teacher supported play is an essential component of our program.

Field Trips:

• The children attend field trips at least 1-2 times per week, during the summer
• Field trip and bus transportation fees are non-negotiable and non-refundable
• Past field trips have included: Milwaukee Zoo, Discovery World, Slinger Pond, and hiking at Pike Lake
• Please send tennis shoes with your child for outdoor play and field trips
• One piece or tank top swim suits only for girls; no bikinis
• We encourage parents and guardians to chaperone on field trips

We keep things fun and interesting with activities such as

• Reading to a preschooler or toddler
• Picnics at the park
• Science experiments
• Water play
• Arts & Crafts
• Mini Camps: soccer, baseball, baking, dance, field day, etc.

Swim Lessons and Summer School:

• If you choose to enroll your child in swim lessons at the Hartford pool, please fill out the swim lesson registration and return it to Sycamore Tree with your Summer Contract
• Session II is the swim lesson session we will provide busing for
• There will be bus transportation to/from summer school

Vacation Week

Families can sign up for one week of vacation that is notified to the office during registration time. Vacation must be taken in one full week increment and it is not transferable.

Registration for Enrollment

Summer registration for the school age program will be held the week of spring break, in the main office.

Before- and After-School Programs (5 – 12 years)

Our before- and after-school program provides the perfect combination of recreation and education. In our safe environment, your child will be presented with opportunities for fun, socializing and learning—they’ll do homework, get some exercise, create projects, participate in group activities and more. Plus, our convenient hours and transportation to and from school make it easy for them (and you!) to get into a routine.

Sycamore Tree Child Care also offers school-age programs during holidays and other breaks from school.

• Winter Break: Our holiday break program keeps your child interested and entertained with dozens of projects and activities.
• School Breaks: We’re open even when school isn’t—teacher conferences and half days are no problem.
• All Summer Long: We make summer even more fun with exciting themes, activities and field trips.

4K Program (4 – 5 years)

Getting Ready for School

Our program is specifically designed to meet the child care and learning needs of four and five year old children. This challenging, fun and age-appropriate program engages each child, helping to think, reason and communicate.

Ensuring Your Child’s Seamless Transition to Kindergarten

The Pre-K classrooms at Sycamore Tree are designed to help your child make significant developmental gains, like communicating successfully, and working well both independently and in groups. Our teachers use these educational tools and activities to prepare your child for Kindergarten and life outside of Sycamore Tree.

Educational Tools and Activities

• Construction & Design
• Dramatic Play
• Writing
• Creativity and Art Projects
• Reading & Listening
• Math
• Science & Sensory Activities

Your Child’s Day

The year-round Pre-K curriculum includes themed units that incorporate the best practices of early childhood education experts and promote school-readiness. Your child will create journals and portfolios that encourage communication through drawing and writing.

The typical daily structure for your child might include:

• Morning and Afternoon Circle time where the day’s themed activities are introduced and reviewed.
• Opportunities to explore and evaluate feelings.
• Activities in the Learning Centers to bring the day’s educational theme to life.
• Back to Basics Math, Language or Literacy skills focus to build their knowledge and prepare them for Kindergarten.
• Story time, which allows your child to read a story with the class or act out a character.
• Song and Poem time to strengthen early literacy skills.
• Music and movement to expand your child’s vocabulary and listening skills.
• Outdoor play at least twice daily to participate in group play, burn off energy and develop motor skills.
• Lunch and quiet time to nourish and rest your child’s growing mind and body.

Extending into Summer

In addition, our summer program offers three months of learning, fun and sun—filled with exciting themes and activities that reinforce learning objectives and further school-readiness.

Early Preschool Daycare (2-3 years)

Hands-On Learning

By the time your child approaches three years of age, he or she is ready to learn new skills. By combining Kindergarten-readiness activities with the best early-childhood standards we assist your child to develop her or her own critical-thinking skills and stimulate your child’s curiosity.

Opportunities for Your Early Preschooler to Explore and Excel

Your early preschooler will engage in a range of activities geared to prepare them for preschool, kindergarten and life beyond. Here are some of those focus areas:

• Construction & Design
• Dramatic Play
• Writing
• Creativity & Art
• Reading & Listening
• Math & Manipulation with numbers
• Science & Sensorial

A look at an Early Preschooler’s Day

The typical daily structure for your child might include:

• Morning and Afternoon Circle time where the day’s themed activities are introduced and reviewed.
• Activities in the Learning Centers to bring the day’s educational theme to life.
• Literacy and language enrichment to build emerging language skills.
• Music and movement (songs, poems and rhymes) to expand your child’s vocabulary and listening skills.
• Outdoor play at least twice daily to burn off energy and develop motor skills.
• Lunch and quiet time to nourish and rest your child’s growing mind and body.

Preschool (2.5 – 4 years)

Transitioning from toddler to pre-K

Learning through Intentional Play

Preschool children start to assert their independence when learning.  Our teachers strategically develop learning activities that promote pro-social interactions where all children can be themselves and learn to play with others.  The classroom environments are print-friendly filled with labels, children’s names and theme-related materials to promote Early Literacy Skills.

Learning Centers

• Construction & Design
• Dramatic Play
• Writing
• Creativity & Art
• Reading & Listening
• Math & Manipulatives
• Science & Sensorial

A Typical Day at Sycamore Tree

The typical daily structure for your child might include:

• Morning and Afternoon Circle time where the day’s themed activities are introduced and reviewed.
• Activities in the Learning Centers to bring the day’s educational theme to life.
• Literacy and language enrichment to build emerging language skills.
• Music and movement (songs, poems and rhymes) to expand your child’s vocabulary and listening skills.
• Outdoor play at least twice daily to burn off energy and develop motor skills.
• Lunch and quiet time to nourish and rest your child’s growing mind and body.
• Seasonal Field Trips to enrich learning and become little community members.
• Early math and science concepts (verbal discussion and simple experiments)
• Bible stories and studies are introduced during small group times
• Children expand their knowledge of their own world (self-portraits, family dynamics)

Infant Daycare (6+ Weeks)

Nurturing and Responsive Infant Care

Highly responsive care early in life is critical to your child’s success in school, relationships and in life. Sycamore Tree Child Care Center provides a safe daycare environment where your baby will not only be loved and cared for—but where our teachers will work to stimulate your baby’s cognitive, emotional and physical development through movement, exploration and nurturing.

A look at a Typical Day

The infant classroom is equipped with areas designed to stimulate your baby’s learning. In addition to providing standard care and play time, throughout the day, your infant’s teacher will engage your child through:

• Movement: Infants use their senses and bodies to learn about the world. Our Movement Area allows your baby to move and participate in teacher-guided physical development exercises. In this area you might see soft climbers, mats, balls, push and pull toys, instruments, bean bags and baskets.
• Exploration: Manipulating objects and interacting with different materials helps babies learn early math and science concepts like size, shape and texture, and practice key skills like hand-eye coordination. In the area, your baby will play with soft blocks, big cars and trucks, knobbed puzzles, nesting cups and more.
• Relaxation: This is a safe place where your infant can feel rested and refreshed. In this space, infants and teachers quietly read books about people, animals and familiar objects and snuggle together with pillows, soft toys and other cuddly objects.

In our infant daycare program you will receive a log of your child’s feeding, sleeping, diapering and learning activities every day, so you can be confident your baby will experience a nurturing and calming environment, focused on developing positive and trusting relationships.

Toddler Daycare (12+ Months)

Learning Through Exploration

Walking changes everything. Your toddler wants to go everywhere and do everything. At Sycamore Tree Child Care, our teachers take great care to create a space geared for exploration, excitement and exercise. Our hands-on child care programs cover as much ground as possible to help shape your toddler’s brain, personality, behavior and health.

Developing Your Toddler’s Interests through Activities

We know children learn best by having a variety of choices in a safe and organized environment. That’s why the toddler classroom is designed around activity-based learning centers to encourage:

• Active & Gross Motor Play: Rocking and riding toys and large climbing structures.
• Fine Motor Play: Action/reaction toys, puzzles and stacking toys.
• Imagination & Quiet Play: Items to stimulate imagination like dolls and accessories, kitchen sets and play food.
• Language Development, Music & Movement: CD players, children’s books, musical instruments and puppets.
• Creative Arts & Exploration: Art materials, sand and water table, and sensory materials.

A look at a Typical Day

The toddler program at Sycamore Tree Child Care is designed around shared learning experiences that stimulate and challenge your child each and every day. The structure of a typical day in the life of your toddler might include:

• Group activities like singing songs, dancing or exploring books.
• Teacher-initiated activities like making music or art.
• A snuggly story time.
• Lunch and naptimes to nourish and rest your child’s growing mind and body.
• Outdoor play at least twice daily to burn off energy and develop motor skills.

Two-Year-Old Daycare

Creating a Love of Learning

Two-year-olds are filled with energy and curiosity about the world and are developing a sense of increasing independence—making the twos terrific, not terrible!

At Sycamore Tree Child Care, the child care curriculum focuses on our Whole Child Education philosophy, which is designed to support and reinforce the independence your two-year-old exhibits by providing fun and challenging activities.

Engaging Your Two-Year-Old’s Natural Curiosity

Our teachers help your child meet the key milestones of this important developmental stage in a daycare environment that provides what they need most—safety, freedom within boundaries, individual attention, enrichment and praise. Each classroom is designed with distinct learning areas where your child will participate in a range of stimulating experiences.

What’s in a Learning Area?

• Blocks: Your child will develop emotionally, socially, cognitively and physically by using a variety of building materials to turn imagination into real-life creation.
• Dramatic Play: This interest center helps your child make sense of their world as they use their imagination and problem-solving abilities.
• Games & Puzzles: Your two-year-old will learn math and science concepts and develop fine motor skills by stacking, sorting, counting, putting together (and taking apart!) various objects.
• Creative Arts: Through painting, sculpture or drawing, your child will learn eye-hand coordination, small muscle control and problem solving.
• Water & Sand: Sensory experiences will provide your child with emotional outlets as well as a beginning knowledge of math and science concepts.
• Book & Storytelling: Exploring books and stories promotes a life-long love of literature and language.

A look at a Typical Day for a 2 year old

Our curriculum keeps your two-year-old engaged in a progression of learning. The child care program at Sycamore Tree Child Care also supports the toilet training process and helps create a plan that is consistent, positive and manageable—at home and school. In addition to standard care and play time, the typical daily structure for your two-year-old might include:

• Two large group times engaging children in story, song and discussion about theme-related topics.
• Discovery time offering both teacher- and self-directed opportunities to explore the Learning Centers.
• A snuggly story time.
• Lunch and naptimes to nourish and rest your child’s growing mind and body.
• Outdoor play at least twice daily to burn off energy and develop motor skills.

Children should come dressed and ready for action. We recommend washable, comfortable clothing.

• No open-toed shoes for walking children
• A change of clothing in a ziploc bag labeled with your child’s name that include the following. Please change seasonally or as your child outgrows the clothing.
  • Socks
  • Shirt
  • Pants
  • Underwear
  • Shoes
• Boots, coats, hats, snow pants and mittens are needed to protect from the cold and from mud. All children, including infants, are required to be taken outdoors each day except during inclement weather or for health reasons such an ozone alert day.

6 Weeks to 4 Years

In addition to a change of clothing 6 Weeks – 4 Years will need the following.

• Disposable diapers and wipes
• Labeled pacifiers (if needed)
• Labeled bottles (under 1 only)
• Small comfort item from home for sleeping (e.g., blanket, teddy)
• Any medication and completed medical form
• Labeled ointment
• Training pants and/or Pull-ups (during toilet training only)
• Sleeping bag (1 year old room and older)

4k Program

In addition to a change of clothing, 4k children will need the following.

• Small comfort item from home for sleeping (e.g., blanket, teddy). This will be kept in your child’s cubby until rest-time.
• Any medication and completed medical form
• Sleeping bag (placed in pillowcase for ease of storage)
• Small, travel-size pillow if needed. Please no regular pillows.
• Water bottle

School Age

In addition to a change of clothing, School age children will need the following.

• Water bottle
• Any medication needed and completed medical form

Special summer needs include

• Swimsuit (one piece or tankinis only)
• Towel
• Old tennis shoes for walks, outdoor play, and field trips

What not to bring?

We ask that children please leave toys, food, gum, pets and money at home. The learning materials at the center are shared by all children as part of the learning experience. Lack of concern about one’s own toys being lost or broken enables the child to participate more fully in our educational environment.

The Sycamore Tree is not responsible for lost, stolen or broken items brought from home.