Classrooms
About Our Classrooms
The classroom experience is unique for each child and their family. Classroom activities and routines are designed to help children gain the confidence to try new activities, solve problems, and explore new ideas and ways of doing things. At the same time, they are learning to respect others and their different ideas. The curriculum is never static; it changes to reflect the needs and interests of individual children as well as the total group.
Meals & Snacks
What’s on my child’s plate?
Calendar
Important days at Miller Lab School
Daily Schedule & Sample Plans
What we are doing and learning
Meals and Snacks
Menus
Snacks and meals are provided by MCDLS. Eating is a social activity that we enjoy. Good eating habits are acquired through imitation, practice, encouragement, and guidance. It is important that children enjoy the foods they eat.
Some guidelines we use that help children develop healthy eating habits include:
- Food is served in a relaxed atmosphere, which allows for social interactions with peers and adults.
- Snack and meal time provides a time to be together and for setting good examples. Children are marvelous imitators.
- Cooking experiences give children a sense of accomplishment. Children will have opportunities to help prepare snacks.
Milk
MCDLS does not feed cow’s milk to infants younger than 12 months, and it serves only whole milk to children of ages 12 months to 24 months. Children 2 years and older are served 2% milk; children with allergies can be served a milk substitute with a doctor’s note. Families may choose to have their child served Organic milk and/or Soy milk for a monthly fee of $45.00 a month. Please contact your head teacher or the director if you are interested in substituting one of the organic options available for dairy (milk) products.
Safe Food Guidelines
MCDLS shall not offer foods that present a choking hazard to children younger than three (3) years of age, including, but not limited to, the following:
Whole grapes, hot dog rounds, hard candy, nuts, seeds, raw peas, dried fruit*, pretzel nuggets, chips, popcorn, marshmallows, spoonful of peanut butter, and chunks of meat larger than children can swallow whole. Hard pretzel sticks and hard, small, traditionally shaped pretzels are high-risk foods for choking incidents. * To clarify: raisins are a dried fruit and cannot be served to children under three years of age.
Staff cut foods into pieces no larger than ¼-inch squares for infants and ½-inch squares for toddler/twos according to each child’s chewing and swallowing capability.
Infants and toddlers often swallow pieces of food without chewing. Chicken tenders, fish sticks, and other foods will be cut according to the age group requirements. If this cannot be done, these foods will not be served regardless if the program provides the food or if it is brought from home. Staff will err on the side of safety regardless of whether a child has had problems chewing or swallowing.
Miller Lab School Calendar
July 4, 2023 | School Closed | Independence Day Holiday |
July 28, 2023 | Last Day of School for 2022-2023 |
July 31, 2023 | Center Closed |
Aug. 4, 2023 | Center Closed |
Aug. 7–8, 2023 | Center Closed | Teacher Mandatory Training |
Aug. 9, 2023 | Children’s First Day |
Aug. 31, 2023 | All School Parent Meeting 6-7:00 pm |
Sep. 4, 2023 | All School Closed | Labor Day |
Nov. 23–24, 2023 | All School Closed | Thanksgiving Vacation |
Dec. 22, 2023–Jan. 1, 2024 | All School Closed | Winter Break |
Jan. 15, 2024 | All School Closed | Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
April 5, 2024 | All School Closed | IAEYC Conference |
May 27, 2024 | All School Closed | Memorial Day |
July 4, 2024 | All School Closed | Independence Day |
July 26, 2024 | Last Day of School for 2023-2024 |
July 29–Aug. 6, 2024 | Center Closed |
Aug. 7, 2024 | Children’s First Day |
Classroom Daily Schedules and Sample Activity Plans
Purple (6 weeks – 2 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Red (18 – 36 months) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Blue (2 years) | Daily Schedule | Morning Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Orange (2 1/2 – 4 1/2 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Green (2 1/2 – 4 1/2 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Yellow (3 – 5 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Aqua (3 – 5 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |