Related Arts & Intergenerational Program

Related Arts

Montclair Community Pre-K is one of the few preschool programs in the area to offer a separate related arts curriculum. It sets us apart educationally and keeps Montclair on the cutting edge of educational programs. A balanced education requires the study of the arts since they are an integral part of the world outside the classroom. The arts are important to all cultures and connect children to the past and the future. They give children a means of communication through movement, music and art. While experiencing our Related Arts program the children meet with local artists, musicians, naturalists and physical education specialists who come to the school and offer a specifically designed preschool arts program. The program consists of six different components – Music/Movement, Choral Music, Spanish, Gym, Visual Arts and Gardening/Nature. The children have the opportunity to experience and explore the worlds of movement, rhythm, music, song, visual art and athletics.

Intergenerational Program

At Montclair Community Pre-K we are proud to have active seniors in our Intergenerational Program. Seniors join children in their classrooms twice a month during which time the children and seniors have an opportunity to build an ongoing relationship and engage in fun activities. The seniors, children and their teachers have an opportunity to learn from each other; the seniors share information and artifacts from their lives and the children and teachers share their toys, books and classroom learning experiences with the seniors. The seniors come from all walks of life - former teachers, musicians, accountants, etc. Some have great grandchildren, grandchildren and others haven't had any children of their own, but the common threads that run through all of them are a love of children and a willingness to give of themselves to others. For some of the children, these seniors symbolize the grandparent they've never met or the one they seldom get to see because they live across the country or it may be just another grandparent that they see all the time.