🌱 Cultivating Full Potential

A Practical Guide to Monitoring Holistic Growth

What Skills Do You Rely on Most in Your Daily Life?

Take a moment to reflect…
While our answers may vary, most of us likely think of qualities that extend beyond strict academics—such as communication, adaptability, and resilience. These are familiar themes, and for many families, they were a key factor in choosing our school.

With so many essential skills shaping a child's success, no single program or curriculum can capture them all. Researchers, labor experts, and educators have identified more than 50 transferable “soft skills” that are expected to be essential for our children’s future. That’s why schools must be intentional about identifying the most impactful skills and integrating them into everyday learning.

Among these many interwoven abilities, two foundational areas underpin almost all academic success: language and engagement. These skills don’t always stand out in traditional curricula, but they are vital to a child’s learning journey. By tracking developmental milestones in these areas and addressing potential concerns early, we help ensure that children are set up for success.

📊 Developmental Milestones & Behaviors by Age Group

Below is a snapshot of typical behaviors and potential concerns at each stage of development. These guidelines help parents and educators know what to look for to ensure that potential barriers are kept well out of a child’s way.

Age Group	Typical Behaviors & Milestones	Areas for Attention
Preschool (2–4 yrs)	- Play & Exploration: Engages in exploratory and parallel play. - Language & Early Academics: Begins to learn through play (e.g., sorting wooden letters, using KWL charts to capture what students know and want to learn).	- Play Concerns: Limited interaction, lack of purposeful play, repeated biting, or difficulties with potty training beyond age 3. - Language Concerns: Fewer than 10 words by 18 months, no two‑word phrases by age 2, or speech that doesn’t sound conversational at age 3 (or if your child often responds by repeating what they heard).
ETK, TK & Kindergarten (4–6 yrs) Child Development Handout	- Play & Group Engagement: Participates in structured and unstructured play; experiences early literacy in group settings. - Academic Foundations: Builds reading and writing skills with opportunities for creative expression (e.g., publishing work in multiple genres).	- Group Dynamics: Difficulty following 2–3 step directions, limited engagement in group activities, or impulsivity that interferes with friendships or learning. - Language Concerns: Unclear speech, challenges forming sentences, or visible frustration when communicating.
1st Grade (6–7 yrs) Child Development Handout	- Social & Collaborative Play: Engages in group play with clear rules and expresses ideas confidently. - Language & Literacy: Demonstrates mastery of basic grammar, storytelling, and early writing skills.	- Social Concerns: Reluctance to join group play, difficulty sharing, or challenges resolving conflicts. - Language Concerns: Persistent grammar errors, trouble following directions, or difficulty retelling events.
2nd/3rd Grade (7–9 yrs) Child Development Handouts (2nd Grade | 3rd Grade)	- Deeper Social Connections: Forms closer friendships, shows emerging leadership and demonstrates effective problem‑solving skills. - Language & Cognitive Growth: Uses more complex language with an expanding vocabulary and begins developing foundational writing skills.	- Social Concerns: Struggles with group dynamics, frequent peer conflicts, difficulty interpreting social cues, or challenges initiating and sustaining interactions. - Language & Literacy Concerns: Difficulty articulating ideas clearly, integrating new vocabulary, consistently applying grammar and punctuation, issues with reading fluency, and handwriting challenges (such as letter reversals or writing that does not maintain a straight line).

• 🔄 The Cascading Effects of Delays

  Even small delays in language or engagement can snowball into significant challenges. Our teachers and directors proactively reach out to families if they detect concerns—such as:

  ✅ Difficulties with speech or pragmatics (reading social cues, maintaining an appropriate tone, sustaining conversations).
  ✅ A lack of purposeful engagement needed for effective problem-solving and social connection.

  These issues often become more apparent in group settings than at home, where demands differ. Early intervention is key to preventing minor gaps from turning into major obstacles.

• 📌 When & How to Act

  At WHPS, we take a proactive approach to child development, working closely with families to address any areas that may need extra attention. Early identification and support can make a significant difference in a child’s confidence and long-term growth. Here are some key developmental areas to monitor at home.

  ✅ Watch for:

  • Limited Peer Interaction: Difficulty engaging in activities with other children or resistance to change.

  • Language Concerns: Delays in vocabulary, unclear speech, or visible frustration during communication.

  • Persistent Separation Anxiety: Some distress at drop-off is normal, but if anxiety lasts beyond 10 minutes and does not improve over time, it may indicate a need for additional support.

  • Play Development: After age 2, but certainly by age 3, children should begin engaging in imaginative and interactive play—using objects creatively (e.g., pretending a block is a phone), acting out simple scenarios, and playing with peers.

  Why Play Matters

  Play is more than just fun—it’s essential for learning, communication, and social development. Through pretend play, children build creativity, problem-solving skills, and emotional regulation. If a child’s play remains rigidly repetitive (e.g., only lining up or stacking toys without variation) or lacks imagination and social engagement, it may indicate developmental differences that could affect language, cognitive flexibility, and peer relationships.

  🏡 Tips for Parents

  ✔ Encourage Play with Purpose: Intentional play goes beyond just following a game’s rules. Look for moments where your child:

  • Uses objects symbolically (e.g., a block as a phone).

  • Invents their own pretend scenarios.

  • Adapts and interacts flexibly with toys and peers.

  If these skills aren’t emerging after age 2 or teachers raise concerns, it’s worth investigating further. Play is a critical foundation for social and cognitive development. Addressing gaps early helps children build the skills they need for future learning and relationships.

  ✔ Track Milestones: A milestone tracker app (linked here) can help monitor progress based on your child’s age and birth history.

  🚀 When to Act
  Early intervention is key. The sooner a developmental gap is identified and addressed, the more quickly children tend to progress—saving valuable time and ensuring they stay on track.

  If you have concerns, please speak with your child’s teacher or program directors. We offer a range of resources, including free developmental screenings, low-cost services, and private options, sometimes covered by insurance. These screenings incorporate feedback from both home and school, helping determine whether additional support is needed or if progress should simply be monitored over time.

• 🏫 How WHPS Bridges Developmental Stages

  While the chart above provides a snapshot of typical behaviors and areas for attention or concern, we intentionally design our program to support and bridge development at every stage. Here are some of the ways our program fosters this growth:

  🌱 Preschool (2–4 yrs)

  • 🔹 Focus: Building foundational social, language, and exploratory skills.

  • 🔹 Approach: Our emergent curriculum sparks curiosity and independence through hands-on exploration and play. Teachers work closely with children to develop early communication and social skills, laying a solid foundation for future learning.

  🎨 ETK, TK & Kindergarten (4–6 yrs)

  • 🔹 Focus: Transitioning to elementary learning by developing essential academic and social skills.

  • 🔹 Approach: We blend rigorous academics with both structured and unstructured play. Classrooms feature engaging centers, outdoor spaces for imaginative play (such as bike riding or treehouse climbing), and creative literacy activities that ease the shift to formal learning.

  📖 1st Grade (6–7 yrs)

  • 🔹 Focus: Strengthening self-regulation, teamwork, and effective communication—while building independence and stamina for focused work.
    🔹 Approach: Through collaborative activities and guided conflict resolution, students learn to recognize when they need a sensory or movement break and quickly get back on track. This balanced approach prepares them for the increased demands of upper elementary.

  🤝 2nd/3rd Grade (7–9 yrs)

  • 🔹 Focus: Expanding academic opportunities while deepening peer relationships and fostering independence.

  • 🔹 Approach: Through multi-age groupings, 2nd and 3rd graders learn alongside peers at similar levels, building leadership skills and forming strong connections. Teachers stay with the same class for two years—a proven method to boost achievement and foster deeper bonds—while guiding students through a rich, adaptive curriculum. This ensures that as academic demands grow, every child receives the individualized support they need.

  🚀 4th/5th Grade (9-11 yrs)

  • 🔹 Focus: Preparing for middle school by simulating a departmentalized, real-world academic environment.

  • 🔹 Approach: The 4th/5th Grade Capstone Experience is the pinnacle of our program. Based on years of feedback from alumni and local schools, we gradually remove supports to mirror middle school expectations. This capstone experience, which includes advanced leadership development, project-based learning, and public speaking opportunities, brings the entire program full circle—from the first day of preschool to a seamless transition to middle school.

🎯 Our Commitment to Every Child

At WHPS, play and language aren’t just curriculum components—they are the building blocks of a bright future. Our intentional, research-driven approach ensures that every learner at WHPS is prepared to thrive—today, tomorrow, and well into the future.