Sharon Speir is the assistant director for early childhood education at the Department of Education. She is responsible for the education of children up to the age of 8, which includes the Child Development Programme, Bermuda Government Preschools, and Primary 1, 2 and 3. Here, she provides information on the registration process for Preschools in Bermuda:

Registration for Government Preschools takes place on February 10, 11, and 12. Registration forms are available at the preschools or can be downloaded from the government website (www.moed.bm). A copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport is required.

Parents are asked to drop off the completed application package at the preschool in the parish in which they reside, with the exceptions listed below. We are registering children who will be 4 between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016. Families who have requested a preschool in the area where they live will be placed and then those families who have requested a preschool out of their area will be placed, given available space. Parents will be notified of their child’s placement by April.

• Lyceum Preschool will accept applications from residents of Smith’s and Hamilton Parish.

• Devonshire Preschool will accept applications from residents of Smith’s and Devonshire.

• Prospect Preschool will accept applications from residents of Devonshire and Pembroke.

• Warwick Preschool will accept applications from residents of Southampton who live to the east of the access roads to The Fairmont Southampton.

• Southampton Preschool will accept applications from residents of Sandys who live to the east of Scaur Hill.

The key development stages for preschoolers

The preschool years are a time of rapid social, intellectual and physical growth. For many children, preschool is their first group experience with peers of the same age.

Children develop friendships and learn what it means to be a member of a group. Intellectually and academically, the foundation for learning is laid; vocabularies expand, reading and writing skills emerge and early mathematical thinking becomes evident. Preschool-age children are very curious about how the world works and engage readily in play and inquiry-based explorations.

Preschool curriculum

In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched an inquiry framework defining the instructional approach for teaching and learning, preschool through primary 3.

The creative curriculum for preschool used in government preschools is an inquiry-based curriculum that enables children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical-thinking skills.

Children engage in investigations into particular topics that last for between six and eight weeks. These studies teach children the skills of asking good questions, problem-solving, collaboration and creative and critical thinking — the skills of the 21st century.

This curriculum addresses all the important areas of learning, from social-emotional, literacy and maths to technology and the arts, and incorporates these subjects in an integrated way throughout every part of every day.

This curriculum, when effectively delivered, moves students from a fixed mindset of learnt helplessness to a growth mindset where students feel positively empowered to influence their learning community.

Activities students engage in over their school year

Preschools offer many different activities that integrate science, technology, engineering, arts and maths for children. These include yoga, tennis, music, art, gardening, Spanish and dance.

Children take part in monthly field trips across the island to locations and events that tie in with the topics they are studying. A few of these activities at some of the preschools are highlighted in some of the articles submitted.

Most notably, our preschools, starting with Lyceum Preschool for September 2016, are embarking on an outdoor classroom learning engagement that opens children up to science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem). This learning experience is enhanced with the arts. The outdoor science, technology engineering and maths, with the arts classroom, is a natural window of learning that encourages eco-learning.