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"[C]hildren who attend well-planned, high-quality early childhood programs in which curriculum aims are specified and integrated across domains tend to learn more and are better prepared to master the complex demands of formal schooling... Young children who are living in circumstances that place them at greater risk of school failure... are much more likely to succeed in school if they attend well-planned, high-quality early childhood programs."— from Eager to Learn (2001), National Research Council, Washington, D.C.

Lincoln Academy's Preschool Program is based on the following key principle:

We can, and must, establish high expectations for all young children, recognizing that the rates and approaches to learning may vary among individuals.

When expectations are made explicit, children are exposed to a coherent core of challenging, interesting competencies and knowledge. This background not only provides a foundation for later learning, but also makes up the common ground for communication in a diverse society.

With a strong focus on challenging but appropriate content, the Preschool Sequence used by Lincoln Academy Preschool is unique among early childhood programs. It outlines a comprehensive and coherent progression of knowledge and skills in all developmental areas. (See the Preschool Sequence at a Glance at www.coreknowledge.org for an overview of these areas.)

The Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence starts with the premise that children are always "ready to learn," as long as the teacher knows where to start with each child. Preschoolers build new knowledge and skills based on what they have already learned. Taking into account the child's particular competencies, a teacher can then offer those experiences that most closely match a student's present level, while providing the stepping stones needed to advance to higher levels of understanding and competence.

To sum up, the content of the Preschool Sequence used by Lincoln Academy is:

• Solid — It is a comprehensive preschool curriculum that addresses all facets of early childhood development.
• Specific — It identifies explicit skills and knowledge that are critical to a young child's development, in terms of "readiness to learn".
• Sequenced — It presents skills and knowledge that progress from very basic to more challenging, so that children build new knowledge and skills based on what they have already learned.
• Shared — It represents shared knowledge. Only by explicitly specifying the competencies and knowledge that all children should share can we ensure access to an excellent and fair education for all.

In addition to the very comprehensive and specific "Language" chapters of the Preschool Sequence, language skills are interwoven throughout the curriculum. A special feature called the "Language of Instruction" in each content area identifies essential vocabulary that knowledgeable and competent individuals use in talking about particular subjects. It is important to stress that these word lists are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization. Rather, they are provided so that teachers can expose children to such vocabulary in meaningful contexts. While not exhaustive, the vocabulary listing provides a starting point, a suggested sampling of the language that we hope all young children will hear.  Lincoln Academy Preschool also used the Open Court Pre-Kindergarten Program for phonics, comprehension, and to correlate with the Preschool Sequence.

The Preschool Sequence organizes knowledge and competencies into two age groupings: Level I for 3–4 year-old children and Level II for 4–5 year-old children. Our program focuses on the Level II skills and guidelines.  These age groupings are not rigid directives but approximate guidelines based on research that, within a given area, suggests a progression of skills and knowledge. Because young children do learn at different rates, no child should be unduly rushed or held back solely based on the age groupings specified in the Preschool Sequence. The child's existing competencies in relation to the skills and knowledge of the Preschool Sequence are the best indicators of where to begin.

~ Adapted from The Core Knowledge website