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Our Program

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TLT Accreditation?

TLT kindergarten program is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports in Croatia. Accreditation is a system that encourages excellence in kindergarten programs. Accreditation is voluntary; kindergartens in Croatia choose to become accredited because it is evidence of their quality.

TLT Curriculum?

TLT has adopted the High/Scope curriculum as its educational framework. This specific approach helps us organize the day (Plan-Do-Review sequence), frames teacher-child interaction and encourages the use of child development principles and hands-on activities.

In addition to including High/scope key developmental indicators we have also designed our own ''best practice curriculum“. With more than 40 years of combined experience in education our curriculum developers have successfully fused the best and the most results-oriented components of highly-researched educational approaches* to create a unique learning experience for each of our students.

For more information about our unique curriculum schedule a visit today
*Montessori, Creative curriculum, Anti-Bias curriculum, project approach and multiple intelligences theory.

Program Schedules?

TLT offers the following programs and  early drop off service from 7:30 am :

PROGRAM

Monday thru Friday

Full day/extended care **

8:30am-5:30pm
(includes breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks)

Full day

8:30am-3:30pm
(includes breakfast, lunch and snack)

Half day

8:30am-12:30pm
(includes breakfast and lunch)

PROGRAM *

Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Full day/extended care **

8:30am-5:30pm
(includes breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks)

Full day

8:30am-3:30pm
(includes breakfast, lunch and snack)

Half day

8:30am-12:30pm
(includes breakfast and lunch)

 Note: Gym and Music classes are included in all our programs.
For more information about our enrichment programs click here

* Monday, Wednesday and Friday programs are just offered for children under the age of 4.

** Extended Care (3:30pm-5.30pm) is a custodial service only. The school shall not in any way follow any curriculum thereof.

Enrichment Programs at TLT?

In addition to our rich and well-rounded curriculum TLT offers music and gym classes as part of the regular morning activities. Each of these enrichment programs is provided by specialized contracted educators and is offered at  no extra charge to parents.

1. Music class (Orff Approach): Since its foundation TLT has offered music classes as part of the regular morning activities. Each Tuesday morning, you can hear our students singing and “composing” as you arrive. The Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is a developmental approach to music education for children. It was developed by the German composer Carl Orff (1895-1982). Our music teacher, uses the Orff approach of music education to generate original tonal constructions and build a sense of confidence and interest in the process of creative thinking.
This approach includes singing in groups and performing voice instrumental music, rhymes and playing instruments such as the metallophone, xylophone, glockenspiel, and other percussive instruments. Orff-Schulwerk is a system of music education which treats music as a basic system like language and believes that just as every child can learn language without formal instruction so every child can learn music in a gentle and friendly approach.

2. Gym class: Sports and physical fitness help develop confidence and self-esteem among young children. This encourages children to be physically active, build strong muscles and develop the love for sports. TLT gym class is led by a certified physical educator and an experienced sport teacher. Classes are held during morning hours once a week.

Who are the teachers?

Teachers play a key role in our program. They  prepare the environment for the child and participate in the child's life and growth within it. Teachers' direct the child to find the best way to learn from the environment (rather than from the adult). Teachers' roles are to facilitate child-initiated activities. At TLT teachers are considered partners because active learning depends on positive adult-child interactions, they are supportive as they converse and play with children. We rely on encouragement and use a problem-solving approach to deal with everyday classroom situations rather than a child management system based on praise, punishment and reward. We offer individualized attention; therefore our student-teacher ratio is six children to one adult.

Student-Teacher ratio?

Our small student-teacher ratio of 6 to 9 children per teacher allows us to offer an individualized education to each of our students. Each class is staffed with two full-time certified teachers and an extra full time teacher assistant in the Pre-K class.

How is the classroom organized?

Our open-space classrooms are structured around learning centers where students work independently or in small groups in an orderly environment. Our children  move from one attractive learning center for math and science to another for art or geography.
Learning centers in the classroom are all linked to a theme unit, allowing the student not only to explore a given topic in-depth, but also to connect that learning to different areas of development through experience.

Centers include: Early Math and Science, Art and Crafts, Geography and Social Studies, Fine Motor Skills, Early Literacy (reading and writing), Blocks and Construction, Computers, Drama and Practical Life.

How do we perceive children?

At TLT children are considered active learners. We believe that young children act on their innate desire to explore; they ask and search for answers to questions about people, materials, events, and ideas. Children solve problems that stand in the way of their goals; and they generate new strategies to try to solve them.

Therefore, at TLT curriculum, environment, materials, assessment and child-teacher relationships are focused to stimulate and encourage active learning. Developmentally-appropriate activities are carefully planned in our daily routines. An educational experience is developmentally appropriate when the activities challenge the learner’s capacities, help the learner to develop a unique pattern of interests and goals, and present learning experiences in which learners are best able to master, generalize and retain skills.

What is the age range and how are children grouped?

Although humans are not usually born in litters, we seem to insist that they should be educated in them. Our rationale for creating a multiage classroom is to increase heterogeneity of the group so as capitalize on the differences in the experiences, knowledge and abilities of the children.

At TLT we consider that multiage classrooms bring lots of advantages for the students and the teachers. This assumption is based on research which proves that young children up to age of eight learn best when they learn from BOTH teachers and peers, and when they have as many hands-on, concrete learning experiences as possible.

Our goal is to develop a nurturing atmosphere, where each child learns at his own pace and more attention is given to teaching in the ways that young children learn best -- not in setting rigid expectations for the whole class in which achievement is based only on a child’s age.

How do we manage the classroom?

Learning self-control is just a normal part of growing up. At TLT we use positive tactics that strengthen self-esteem.  Most behaviors and situations can be handled by redirecting the child to another more appropriate activity. TLT creates a peaceful classroom by offering children a well structured but flexible environment, balanced routines, age appropriate activities and the guidance of caring and knowledgeable teachers. In addition, our students are periodically monitored by our-in house child psychologist.

How do we communicate with parents?

At TLT parents are full partners and participants in their children's academic experience. Teachers communicate daily with parents. Our Home School Connection suggests activities that support the lesson plan that parents and children can do together at home. Our Open Door policy encourages parents participation in classroom projects, special outings and scheduled observation during class activities.

Additionally, TLT encourages open communication through:

  • Formal parent-teacher conferences held twice a year to provide formal discussion of each child's progress.
  • Classroom bulletin board posted in the classroom includes daily schedule, monthly themes and special events, weekly menu, and other important information.
  • Quarterly newsletters describe upcoming events, highlight new program offerings and service enhancements.
  • Friday's homework
  • Student portfolio
  • Phone, email and school’s website
  • School events (Fall acquaintance party, Christmas international fest, and Spring festival among others)

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