Our Curriculum
The core of our curriculum is The Seeds of STEM curriculum which is a research-based curriculum developed over years of rigorous testing and supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education. The Seeds of STEM integrates science concepts with engineering practices and supports the development of STEM foundational skills. Throughout the Seeds of STEM units, the children define and research the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, sort the solutions into testable/non-testable in a classroom setting, plan a selected solution, create the solution, and test it against The curriculum developed by researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the College of the Holy Cross, and teachers from the Worcester Child Development Head Start Program. The criteria for successful solutions are revised, and the final solutions are shared.
Throughout the process, the children engage in STEM education in Alpharetta, Georgia, sharing their work (ideas, plans, and prototypes) with their peers. This process introduces children to the early concepts of the engineering design process. His development was guided by an advisory board that included engineers, experts in Early Childhood education, experts in teacher Professional Development, and researchers with expertise in study design and STEM stereotypes.
The Seeds of STEM curriculum development followed a rigorous testing & revision process. All units of the curriculum were tested multiple times in nearly 40 preschool classrooms. The curriculum was revised 5 times based on detailed feedback from teachers. All units were designed for and tested in multi-age classrooms.