Welcome to the Early Childhood section at the American School of Guatemala. In August, 2006, we become a 4th section of the school and are dedicated to focusing on the unique learning and social/emotional needs of Kindergarten and 1st Grade students. We feel that the early years should be a positive, fun time. It should help enrich children’s knowledge and understanding of the world, their place in it, among family, friends and community. We see parents as important partners in this.

Our highly qualified staff serve as “facilitators, models, and consultants” for children, guiding them in their exploration. We are asking questions, listening to answers, concerns and interests, providing information, and supporting them, while sharing and reinforcing learning opportunities with children. We encourage problem solving, critical thinking, universal values and team work. Learning respect and responsibility is important, not only for their own things, but also in developing positive personal relationships and communication skills with peers and adults. The Early Childhood program is based on the premise that children “construct” meaning and knowledge through multi-sensory experiences. Children should be active learners, and hands-on experiences and exploration is critical. Student-centered experiences and projects, as well as teacher directed ones, are geared toward skill development as well as bilingualism. Children are exposed to many social, sensory motor, artistic, musical, and academic (language, math, science) skills and activities in both English and Spanish. Every class has two homeroom teachers, one with proficiency in each language, in addition to a bilingual assistant, who work with an integrated curriculum to insure that we fulfill the needs of a diverse group of learners. Activities are both open-ended as well as teacher directed, allowing for creativity, imagination and originality.

We believe that every child is a unique individual, and should learn to take responsibility for themselves and their surroundings, while being treated with respect. We would also like to emphasize the importance of parent participation in helping us educate their most precious child. We are share information with parents, through frequent communications, as well as parenting groups, to help them (and us) better understand how we are working with children. Fortunately, we are in this together. We look forward to building a team dedicated to sharing the excitement of first school experiences with young children and their families, while challenging them to be all that they can be.