About Us
At Royal Sprout Prep, we are a team of teachers committed to educating and providing high quality care for children from birth to 5.11 years old. We are a DOH certified center-based program, providing care to families full-time and part-time, Monday through from Friday.
Meet our Director
Our director, Sonia Pena, is a New York State Certified Bilingual Education Teacher. Ms. Pena has vast experience with children acquired through over 30 years working with them and their families. She retired in 2016 from teaching in public school: Pre-school to 6th Grade. Her passion is to educate young children by inspiring them to learn and become the best they can be. She believes early experiences are crucial in shaping children's lives.
Developmental Domains
Cognitive Developmental Skills
This domain measures abilities such as memory, perception, reasoning, problem solving and knowledge of concepts. Our children acquire these fundamental skills through independent and structured stations that incorporate a variety of toys, books, and games.
Communication & Language Skills
This domain measures both receptive and expressive language and verbal or nonverbal expression. The Receptive Language sub domain measures the ability to discriminate, recognize, and understand verbal and non-verbal communication. The Expressive Language sub domain measures the ability to use sounds, words and gestures to communicate. At our center we read and expose children to a variety of books that are read several times during the day as it is the best way to help them develop language and communication skills. To help our children follow and understand directions, we first get their attention to ensure they understand the instructions. Teachers expose students to non-verbal communication by using gestures and facial expression as signals. Above all we help children express their needs and wants in school and in the world by modeling expressive language whenever we can.
Social-Emotional skills
This domain measures self-concepts and social interactions. At our school children are guided to interact appropriately with teachers, peers and everybody in the environment and to express their feelings, wants, and needs using words or gestures instead of crying and/or hitting each other. Sharing, turn-taking games and activities are daily practices at our school.
Physical Development Skills
This domain assesses skills from both gross and fine motor skill development. Gross Motor Skills involve the movement and coordination of the arms, legs, and other large parts of the body. At our school children get one hour of gross motor activities outside when weather permits or inside the classroom, through dancing, jumping, and games that involve the use of their large muscles. Fine Motor Skills refers to the coordination of small muscles in movement. It usually involves synchronization of the hands and fingers with the eyes. At our school children learn to use their smaller muscles through turning pages, eating, writing, holding small objects, buttoning clothing, cutting with scissors, and lacing beads. These activities involve the use of the hand, fingers and wrists.
Adaptive Development Skills
This domain measures the child's independent functioning in the areas of toileting, feeding, dressing and personal responsibilities. At our center, children are guided and supported to independently help themselves with their daily needs while at school.