Country Sunshine Children's Center

 Country Sunshine has classes for infants, toddlers, 2-5 year olds and before/after school programs.  Children are placed into classes based on their age and their developmental needs.  The Center also uses the services of Project Enlightenment and the Speech and Hearing Clinic of Raleigh to meet the special needs of some of our children.

Country Sunshine's curriculum includes a variety of group activities (such as indoor/outdoor play and field trips) as well as individual activities.  Each school day generally includes 'free choice' activities (that help develop social skills), structured times (with relatively little activity) and active times so that the attention span of each child can be accommodated.  We also take advantage of nice weather by moving the classroom outside whenever possible and appropriate.

The curriculum emphasizes the development of skills and attitudes that allow children to respond socially to each other's needs.  Many activities center around 'togetherness experiences' where the children learn and solve problems together.  Activities are often based on themes or organized into units so that they can be matched to the developmental needs of each child.  These themes include housekeeping, blocks, art, fine/gross manipulation, wood play, science, reading and music.

The Center administers annual assessment tests each winter to monitor the progress of the children.  These assessments also help us to validate the developmental and instructional appropriateness of our curriculum and activities.  Conferences are conducted twice a year so that parents can stay informed about their child's progress and to review the results of the assessment tests.  Parents can schedule a conference at any time at the Center.

We offer a diversified program and there are many nationalities represented in our student population.  We study a different country each month and encourage parent and family participation in our classroom during those studies.

Children aged four and over may optionally take field trips to various destinations of educational value (such as zoos, parks, libraries and farmer’s markets).  Children over six years old may optionally go to Lake Johnson Pool each week during summer.  Field trips are scheduled separately for each class and a signed Permission Slip is required before your child may participate.  Some field trips require that the child bring a small amount of money (for such things as admission fees or to buy a small plant).  Parents are encouraged to volunteer to participate in the field trips as their help is always welcomed and needed.

In addition to off-site field trips, we frequently hold special events on-site at the Center.  These events include water days (running through sprinklers and playing at special water tables), pajama and movie days, bake sales, game days and other similar events.