Early Learning Center

Welcome to the Early Learning Center – where lifelong learning begins!

The Early Learning Center (ELC) at Tashkent International School is based on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), which uses an inquiry-based, experiential approach with an emphasis on developing students who are internationally minded.

Current Programs

The ELC provides age-appropriate learning opportunities for children ages 3 to 5. The programs are as follows:
• Owlets for children who are full 3 – contact the office for details
• Preschool 1 for children ages 3 and 4
• Preschool 2 for children ages 4 and 5

Play with a Purpose

At the TIS Early Learning Center, children are invited to investigate important subject matter by developing their own questions and wonderings and seeking ways to explore these through observation, research, experimentation and investigation.

Structured activities and play-based learning include:

• Constructive play
• Media exploration
• Language development
• Story time
• Mathematical development
• Social development opportunities
• Art and physical education
• Creative play
• Outdoor play

The Early Learning Center is an integral part of Tashkent International School. It is where learning begins for children. We follow the same philosophy and elements of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) as the other grades in the elementary school. This includes a focus on inquiry-based learning, a fostering of attitudes and learner profiles. These attitudes will ensure that children begin their growth as internationally-minded students.

Curriculum
Our preschool curriculum is designed to meet the developmental needs of the preschool child. The curriculum is flexible and adapts to the cognitive, social and emotional needs of the child. At this level, all areas of the curriculum are interrelated, centering on an inquiry-based approach.

Literacy activities are designed to develop a love of books and a deep and lasting interest in spoken and written language. They involve the children in stories, emergent writing, illustration, play acting, retelling stories using puppets, comparisons of different story versions, letter and sound recognition, sequencing, book making, telling stories through pictures and many other related skills.

In math, children experience and build upon basic math concepts through the use of manipulatives. The children experience volume through the use of sand and water; simple geometry through building; problem solving and measurement with non-standard units; identifying, classifying, graphing, collecting data, grouping, ordering, counting, number value, comparisons, one-to-one correspondence, and use of scales.

The aim of the preschool is to provide children with a happy environment in which they can learn about themselves ad others, become independent, inquisitive learners and problem solvers, and above all to develop a love for learning that will last a lifetime.

Units of Inquiry
The programme of inquiry represents the organizing structure for transdisciplinary learning. It is made up of structured units of inquiry planned for each year or grade level. The units of inquiry are grouped under six organizing themes that present ideas in a way that transcends subject distinctions. They offer insights into the common ground of human experience and, when explored from a multiplicity of cultural perspectives, provide a dynamic, transdisciplinary core to the school’s curriculum. They also provide consistency with other PYP schools around the world. Owlets/PS1 and PS2 choose 4 of the 6 transdisciplinary themes to focus inquiry over a school year.

The six transdisciplinary themes are:

Who we are
Where we are in place and time
How we express ourselves
How the world works
How we organize ourselves
Sharing the planet