Preschool Fort Myers

Why Choose us?

Here at Palmer Preschool & Childcare, we are much more than a daycare. Our 4 year olds are cared for by warm, nurturing teachers who are invested in the developmental growth of each child. We use Creative Curriculum to meet the daily needs and development of each child. This curriculum is not only research-based but one of the most widely used in the nation. Through ongoing user-friendly assessments, our teachers are able to help each child achieve their age-appropriate milestones and to communicate that progress to parents.

Preschool Enrolment Age:

4 to 5 years old

How Our 4 Year Olds Learn and Grow

Our Fours program offers the perfect environment to prepare them for a graceful transition into kindergarten . Through the use of age-appropriate independent thinking, creative exercises, and educational experience to grow their creativity and maintain their curiosity.  At Palmer Preschool your 4 year old will  also practice using our manners as your child develops  concepts of morality and kindness. 

STEAM for Pre- K

In preschool your child's learning is all about developing their critical thinking. They are practicing their using their creativity to solve more complex problem in a playful environment. They want to be challenged by new skills like writing or even tying their shoes. They will use all the skills they've learning previously to create more amazing art, towers, and friends.

For example, as when they were 3 they learned to make multiple constructions and find strong connections between them. As 4 year olds they will successfully be forming magnificent block cities of multiple materials and purposes. They will be exploring  evaluating the success of their planning, and collaboration during STEAM exercises.

Learn More about STEAM here.

---

Preschool activities include:

Science: classifying objects, baking soda experiments, problem solving, exploring new topics, asking questions
Technology: puzzles, using tools, toys with moving parts
Engineering: building with blocks using ramps and bridges, gears, magnets, stacking cups
Arts: music, using various new materials to create priceless and personal pieces of art
Math: counting skills, making patterns, adding to their counting vocabulary

Set Up a Tour

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK)

Your child’s most important growth and brain development happen by the age of 5, and we want to be there every step of the way to support you. Our Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program makes sure that your child is ready for kindergarten next year - mentally, emotionally, and socially. Thanks to the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) and equipped with a curriculum outline from the Department of Education, our teachers are able to provide all four-year-olds living in Florida with 540 instructional hours for free, in order to prepare them for formal education in Kindergarten and upwards. 

Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) programs like ours increase the social development and literacy of the children who participate. Preparing them at age 4 for the structure of a school day they’ll attend at age 5 makes them more comfortable in a classroom environment and for the interactions that will be expected of them there. You can find more information about our VPK program and how to register for free here in VPK Services.

Set Up a Tour

Our Knowledge on 4-5 Year Old Child Care

Around age 4, children will begin to become deeply invested in their conscious personal growth. They want to be independent, solve problems, and learn more than ever before. Our teachers work to create goals and a classroom environment that allow your child to expand and exercise these desires with focused enrichment activity. Their budding creativity will be encouraged, as will their curiosity and the asking of investigative questions. 

Your child will continue expanding their vocabulary, learn and be able to sing simple songs, and become better at relating to others with their newfound personal knowledge. While they may possess new abstract knowledge like the ability to tell the difference between two objects based on characteristics or have an increased understanding of time, they will still lack the moral concepts of right and wrong. 

Children in this age range are also prone to an increase in aggressive behavior, which our staff are trained in managing, and which can be used as opportunities to learn better communication and self-control. Our teachers will continue working with you and your child to coach them in the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

We know repetition and consistency are important for your child's development. This includes when they're at home. Here's a link to our favorite activities for you to reinforce and continue learning with your child! If you'd link more learning resources, head over to our Resources page here.

As your child reaches age 5, their balance and motor skills will become strong and steady. They will have a vocabulary of 2,000 or more words and be able to speak in large sentences with all parts of speech. Their math capabilities will have expanded and they will be able to identify different coins, count to 10, and know a telephone number. 

Your child’s real world knowledge and imagination will be encouraged with lessons that establish these skills and with activities like reading together, small group activities, more complex educational tools and toys, and performing responsibilities like cleaning up after themself. All of the skills that they have learned up to this point will be reinforced so that your child feels confident in their own abilities and feels ready to learn even more. ​

There will be a decrease in aggression at this age, and your child will begin to be able to own up to their mistakes and apologize, which will make it easier for your child and their classmates to keep making and improving friendships. Your child’s sense of identity will strengthen and they will begin to outgrow fears from their early childhood. 

​ At this stage your child will also be able to answer questions of “why?” when before they merely asked them, and they will go on to ask more complex questions of meaning and purpose. These markers of maturity indicate that your child is growing as a person, and that they may be ready for other, extra-curricular activities!
Once your child starts kindergarten they're ready to attend our Before and After School Care!

Set Up a Tour