OUR DIRECTOR
Sharon Maynor, Director (615) 479-5310
Sharon Maynor is the director of the GCPC Mother's Day Out Program. She coordinates all activities relating to it and oversees all of the classes and children. She has been with the program for more than 20 years and is
on-hand every Tuesday and Thursday to directly guide the program.
OUR PROGRAM
At Mother's Day Out, your child will participate in developmentally-appropriate activities throughout the day, such as:
- Story Time
- Puzzles and Games
- Computer Time
- Arts and Crafts
- Music
- Pre-Academic Activities
- And much more
You can rest assured that your child will be cared for with the utmost kindness, love and respect. We believe all children are precious gifts from God and we treat them as though they are our own.
OUR CLASSES
We currently have three different classes as follows:
NURSERY - Our Nursery is for children ages 5 months to approx. 18 months. Children of this age are just learning to be away from home in someone else's care, to be with other children their own age, to share toys and attention, etc. This age group spends most of their time in the nursery, but they also spend 30-45 minutes a day on the playground or in the gym with the older children & teachers. Ratio is 1:4
2-YEAR OLDS - Actually, this classroom includes children approx. 18 to 36 months. Some children are still adjusting to being away from home and spending time with other children. Our teachers gently coach the children as they learn to share toys, wait patiently and follow simple directions. Lots of age-appropriate toys, books and puzzles are available during "Play Time". Focusing on Nursery Rhymes, letters, and colors, their "Work Time" consists of coloring sheets, painting, crafts, etc. This group goes out to the playground or to the gym each day with the other classes. (During this time, the children become familiar with all the teachers making a smooth transition as they move up to their next classroom!) Ratio 1:5
3-5 YEAR OLDS - Ms. Rhonda is the lead teacher of this classroom with Ms. Teresa as her assistant. This is the most intense of our classes at MDO as we are preparing the children to move on to Kindergarten. (Don't worry... we still have fun!) Our typical day looks like this...
CENTER TIME - 9:00 As the children arrive, they each choose one of 4-5 centers to start their day. We have developed 12 different play and learning centers that will be used on a rotating basis. There are tags at each center allowing only 4 children to be at a center at one time. This will help prepare the children for Center Time in Kindergarten!
Around 9:45, all the children assist in cleaning up the centers. Once the clean-up is done, the children sit quietly on the carpet while Ms. Rhonda assigns jobs for the day (line leader, door holder, flag holder, prayer helper, etc.). Our Line Leader then leads us down the hall to the classroom.
CIRCLE TIME - 10:00 At Circle Time, we recite the Pledge of Allegiance and have Calendar Time. During Calendar Time, we discuss the current month and day, today/tomorrow, the weather and sing the Days of the Week song.
SNACK TIME - 10:05 At Snack Time, we have light snacks and juice boxes provided by MDO. Many times, our snack ties into our lesson for the day (A=apples, B=bananas, C=carrots, D=donuts!).
WORK TIME - 10:15 Our curriculum is centered around a "Letter & Color of the Week". We use a variety of mediums to support the teaching of these concepts including coloring sheets, painting, writing, crafts, etc. We will also work closely with the 5-year olds to learn what they are expected to know when entering Kindergarten.
PLAYGROUND/GYM - 11:00 Depending on the weather, we go out to the playground and/or go to the gym. All of the younger children and their teachers join us. Of course, there's lots of practice "walking in line" as we transition between buildings!
LUNCH TIME - 12:00 Our class has lunch in the Fellowship Hall (or the "dining room") which provides a similar experience to what the children will have in Kindergarten. Lunch...along with more practice and learning!
MOVIE & NAP TIME - 1:00 Most of the children are pretty tired from such an active day by this time! We turn down the lights and watch the movie...a few go straight to sleep! We tell the children that they don't have to sleep, but they do have to stay on their mats. Again...more practice "following directions"!
TIME TO GO HOME - 2:00 WHEW!!!
The Adult to Child Ratio is generally 1:7. Plus, Ms. Sharon is available at times throughout the day to assist as needed.
We sincerely thank you for allowing us the privilege to care for your child! (Your child's Kindergarten teacher will probably thank you, too!!)
