Orono Community Education

As those who love us learn about stuff like nutrition, discipline and sleep (yuck), we get to do art, have a healthy snack, and explore the activities and great toys in the classroom. My favorite part of the class is something called circle time. We sing songs, do finger-plays and open the “Knock, knock who’s inside” box. There are sometimes bells, ribbons, or egg shakers inside. We get to make lots of noise. When mom or dad come back from their “talking” time, they tell us all how much they missed us and that they are so proud because we stopped crying when they left. That was mostly because the teacher opened the sensory table and it was so much fun to play in that with one another that we forgot they were gone.Separating: Parent discussion time is held in a separate room. Some younger classes will transition to separating.A typical ECFE Class includes… Parent-Child Activity Time: time for families to explore a classroom filled with developmentally appropriate play and learning activities planned by a licensed early childhood teacher. Parent-Child Circle Time: time for parents to help their children with their first experiences in a large group activity at school. ECFE teachers are famous for the fun and creative ways they encourage language, music and your imagination. Parent Discussion Time: time for parents to meet with a licensed parent educator to share support, experiences and information about child development and parenting techniques. Children’s Activity Time: time for children to learn with the licensed early childhood teachers/staff and practice social skills as they interact with each other. Sibling Care: You must pre-register and pre-pay for sibling care for parent-child classes.

You know what is cool about this class? My sister comes with me. When mom leaves for her class time, my sissy holds my hand. Some kids come on their own and I think they are so brave. We dance a lot in this class. I love the song “We Are the Dinosaurs”. We stomp around the room till we get really tired and then pretend we are napping. There are kids in this class that are smaller than me and some bigger. I got to bring snack this week. We read a book about a barnyard. I guess the teachers plan something called a “study” because we also sang songs about farm animals and got to play in the mud (kinda smelled like chocolate pudding though). I wish ECFE was every day.Separating: Parent discussion time is held in a separate room. Some younger classes will transition to separating. A typical ECFE Class includes… Parent-Child Activity Time: time for families to explore a classroom filled with developmentally appropriate play and learning activities planned by a licensed early childhood teacher. Parent-Child Circle Time: time for parents to help their children with their first experiences in a large group activity at school. ECFE teachers are famous for the fun and creative ways they encourage language, music and your imagination. Parent Discussion Time: time for parents to meet with a licensed parent educator to share support, experiences and information about child development and parenting techniques. Children’s Activity Time: time for children to learn with the licensed early childhood teachers/staff and practice social skills as they interact with each other. Sibling Care: You must pre-register and pre-pay for sibling care for parent-child classes.

I usually snuggle on mom or dad’s lap during class, but lots of other babies explore the toy-filled room. I’m learning to play and share with others. The parents are making friends and learning about how to do a great job raising me. Mom told me it is nice to have “support”. Sometimes I even come to class sleeping but you know what? I always wake up for the bang-bang song. That, and the gigantic, colorful parachute, are my favorite. “Spot” is our class mascot and he pops out of a box and makes me laugh. Last week, my teacher painted my hand and mom put feathers around it to make a turkey. Mom said she’s going to put it in my baby book. Non-separating: Parents stay with babies the entire class.A typical ECFE Class includes… Parent-Child Activity Time: time for families to explore a classroom filled with developmentally appropriate play and learning activities planned by a licensed early childhood teacher. Parent-Child Circle Time: time for parents to help their children with their first experiences in a large group activity at school. ECFE teachers are famous for the fun and creative ways they encourage language, music and your imagination. Parent Discussion Time: time for parents to meet with a licensed parent educator to share support, experiences and information about child development and parenting techniques. Children’s Activity Time: time for children to learn with the licensed early childhood teachers/staff and practice social skills as they interact with each other. Sibling Care: You must pre-register and pre-pay for sibling care for parent-child classes.