We are one of the leading educational institutions in Turkey with approximately 1800 students from different age groups and nearly 550 teachers and colleagues. We are one of the leading educational institutions in Turkey with approximately 1800 students from different age groups and nearly 550 teachers and colleagues.Aligned with the values, philosophy, and mission of Açı Schools, Açı Preschool aims to raise globally conscious individuals who are learners, free thinkers, decision-makers, and collaborative team players, working in solidarity to protect their communities and the natural environment. As in all Açı Schools, the focus at Açı Preschool is on learning rather than just teaching; the importance of everyone—not just students but all stakeholders—becoming part of the learning community is emphasized, and activities are carried out accordingly.
Recent research indicates that a student’s overall well-being is essential for both academic and life success. Learning in a school environment encompasses much more than academic achievement. Studies have shown that students raised as healthy individuals exhibit higher academic performance and better life skills.
For this reason, the Açı Preschool 21st Century Program (AP21C) is designed to create an environment that supports students’ developmental progress at school while helping them become Healthy Learners.
There is a direct connection between healthy social-emotional development and academic success. Social-emotional well-being can be defined as a child’s ability to manage emotions, express themselves, build positive relationships with others in a safe environment, and maintain confidence and happiness. Açı Preschool is child-centered and recognizes that the school serves as one of the vital environments supporting children’s social-emotional well-being. AP21C acknowledges the importance of social and emotional well-being as the foundation for learning.
Physical well-being encompasses activities that encourage the necessary care of the body to ensure optimal health and functionality. Engaging in physical activity, maintaining proper nutrition, and balancing mental health are some key aspects of physical well-being. In the Açı Preschool program, students’ physical development—from fine motor skills to gross motor skills—is supported through games. Various equipment is used to help students build confidence by improving their balance, coordination, and strength.
AP21C aims to lay the foundation for students to engage in these physical activities and adopt a healthy lifestyle that they will maintain throughout their lives.
As the 21st century began, the role of nutrition in growth and development has become a significant area of attention. Healthy eating for children involves consuming the necessary nutrients to maintain both physical and mental health. AP21C focuses on integrating the fundamental elements of healthy eating—balanced diets, proper meal timing, and adequate water consumption—into students’ daily lives through menus and both classroom and school activities. The goal is for these healthy eating habits to become a natural part of students’ routines.
Children have a “natural” bond with nature. As they play joyfully and learn through play in natural settings, they strengthen this connection. Through interactions with nature, children enhance their memory and focus while building the foundation for lifelong, meaningful learning through concrete experiences. 21. In the 21st century, urbanization and increased time spent in urban environments have led to a reduction in time spent in nature and access to natural settings. From this perspective, the AP21C highlights two main points:
1. The positive effects of maintaining a connection with nature on students’ lifelong development and learning.
2. The relationship between early experiences in nature and the development of ecological literacy skills that are essential for building a sustainable future.
ENVIROMENTAL AWARENESS
NATURE
21st century education requires technology function as a learning tool and to be used in accordance with children’s developmental characteristics. Interactive technology—used by teachers, adults, students, or peers during learning—enhances the educational process by incorporating effective, engaging methods and materials.
The Açı Preschool 21st Century Program incorporates these goals and uses technology to support learning. Students explore age-appropriate technological tools such as smart boards, tablets, and projectors. They engage in spatial and hands-on learning experiences involving algorithmic thinking and coding through coding tools and games—first in spatial planes and then using paper-based coding activities.
Açı Preschool respects the different skills and learning styles of each student and provides a learning environment that nurtures them.
Açı Preschool education program aims for a holistic approach that encourages students to think, create, ask questions, take risks and discover new things. Who we are, where and when we are, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organize ourselves and the responsibilities we have for the world we live in are among the important quesrions dealt with in the program.
Açı Preschool follows an interdisciplinary program that is suitable for age group characteristics, thematic-project-based, social-emotional areas, STEAM and cares about asking effective questions with the holistic approach it adopts.
Each academic year, there are 4 themes lasting 9 weeks for all age groups:
Ages 3-4: All About Me – Nature Around Us – Amazing Buildings – The Art Within
Ages 4-5: All About Me – Nature Around Us – Imagine and Make – The Art Within
Ages 5-6: Me and the Environment – The Wonderful World We Live In – Adventures in My City – The Art Within
Learning activities and communication are designed to develop students’ self-confidence and positive approach to learning. The framework for this approach is designed for for all age groups,
covering language and communication, mathematics, physical development, creative arts, science and natural sciences and, most importantly, social-emotional learning objectives.
A child’s social and emotional development is the most important part of their overall development and affects every aspect of their lives. In Açı Preschool program, the concept of “self (personality)” is developed and nurtured. Children’s views about themselves and their beliefs about whether or not they can do something affect their learning and their approach to new situations they encounter. A healthy self-concept is the key to every child’s success. Açı Preschool provides opportunities for students to realize the achievements gathered under the main headings of establishing relationships with others, emotion and behavior management, self-confidence and awareness in social and emotional development.
At preschool age, children discover and experience mathematics naturally. Açı Preschool accepts this understanding and offers an effective program that integrates mathematics with other areas. Our mathematics program aims to develop students’ problem solving skills through the topics of numbers, patterns, graphics, shapes, time, length and measurement.
Preschool children get to know themselves, their families and the people around them better. They begin to learn and understand the world we live in by exploring the world they live in. Children learn “How people and other living things live, how they relate to each other, how they solve the problems they face, how they shape the environment they live in”.
From early childhood onwards, students are curious to know how everything works and want to explore it. In the light of all this information, our Açı Preschool program includes many activities that take place in nature, with nature and about nature, which is full of endless opportunities to increase children’s interest. During these activities, children observe, experiment and explore their environment like a scientist.
One of the most important parts of Açı Preschool program is “creative art”. With the music and art activities in our program, children develop their imagination and learn to express their feelings in this way. “Creative play” and ‘drama’, another branch of creative art, play an important role in the development of the child’s self-concept. During play, children learn to lead, follow when necessary and wait their turn. In addition, in this way, children find the opportunity to show their feelings that they cannot yet express in words.
Açı Preschool music program aims for our students to love music and enjoy it both as listeners and participants. Music plays an important role in the development of many skills such as language, self-expression and self-confidence of the child and is welcomed with interest by all children as a “universal language”. The songs and musical games used in the program increase children’s awareness of other cultures and languages.
Physical development includes not only the development of muscles and growth using all parts of the body, but also an understanding of healthy development. Açı Preschool Program supports the development of fine and gross motor muscle development and supports the development of many skills, from meeting the student’s self-care needs to holding a pencil; It supports the student to gain awareness about the importance of physical exercise and healthy nutrition for a healthy life through activities carried out in school life.
Physical Education lessons with branch teachers are planned in line with the goals set under the titles of Gymnastics, Dance, Games, Health, Lifelong Physical Activity, Social Skills.
Reading, writing, speaking and listening are the basic elements of early language education. The “literacy” program implemented at Açı Preschool aims to support students’ language development.
This program is divided into two:
1.Pre-Literacy
2.Preparation for Reading and Writing
While “pre-literacy” activities are carried out with 3+ and 4+ age group students, “literacy preparation” activities are carried out with 5+ age group students.
Reading
The Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) program is used at different levels in all our age groups. According to this program, while young children have difficulty in recognizing words or learning the meanings of words, they can easily learn the words and their meanings in a story read to them. According to the Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) program’s perspective on reading learning, the event and meaning in the story take precedence. The stories of the Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) program read at our school reflect the life experiences of 4-6 year old children. This encourages children to make connections between the stories and their own lives and to talk about their experiences. Students’ development and interest in reading and writing skills are supported by visual materials used in classrooms.
Writing
In the writing program, children lay the foundation for accurate and comfortable writing through learning by doing and experiencing, resources that develop their hand skills and different learning techniques. All of the materials and materials used are selected in accordance with age groups.
Literacy Group Activities
In 5+ age classes, students work on language, phonics, writing, reading and journaling in small groups for 45 minutes every day of the week, depending on their needs after a certain period of time the school starts.
In the transition from preschool to primary school, students undergo significant changes both socially and academically. For this reason, the primary goal of our 5-6 year old (primary school preparation) program is to develop the skills of our students according to the basic needs of primary school and to ensure an easy transition to the primary school program.
The acquisitions in the primary school preparatory program are distributed in a balanced daily flow. Reading and writing activities, mathematics activities and small group work are just some of the learning activities of the 5-6 year old program structured for preparation for primary school. In addition, the themes we have discussed provide students with the research and inquiry skills that form the basis of the primary school program.
5-6 year old students are evaluated by teachers in line with their individual development during each open period. The aim of these evaluations is to identify the areas where each student is strong and needs support in the transition to primary school and to plan the individual work to be done in these areas. At the end of the school year, all information about the student is shared with the 1st grade teachers, administrators and the student’s parents.
Our preschool program takes into account the character, needs and abilities of each student, based on their past experiences. This information helps us to create an individual learning program that is suitable for students with different abilities and learning styles. Our program includes different levels of language and communication, mathematics, physical development, creative arts, science and nature, and most importantly, social-emotional development for each age group. Our activities aim to develop a positive attitude towards learning along with communication, self-confidence and the ability to work independently.
Portfolio
Portfolio is a tool used to measure the student’s progress by bringing together sample works of the student. Portfolio studies, which are a source of tracking the learning that has taken place and planning the next stage, are formed by bringing together examples of the work done in all areas within the daily flow. With the portfolio created, our teachers evaluate the individual development of the student with more concrete data and share them with our parents in individual meetings held 3 times a year.
Evaluation
Students’ work and development are evaluated through observations and follow-up records that continue throughout the school year. Observation notes and follow-up records show a student’s progress. The evaluations made in the light of these data are more concrete and objective.
Açı Reports
Observations and evaluations of students’ personal development are shared with parents in writing twice a year. In addition to these reports, the progress of the student is regularly communicated to the parents through individual meetings.
We aim to achieve the program goals by incorporating the following different learning areas into our daily and weekly plans. In the daily flow, we start each section by introducing the topic with the large group and then continue with the small groups while we more closely observe and support the individual needs of our students.
Discovery Time
This is the first 45-60 minutes after the start of the school day and the following 45-60 minutes, as well as certain days and times during the week.
Let’s Move:
Garden Times:
Grammar and Communication:
Snacks and Lunch:
Rest Time:
Theme-Based Learning (Interdisciplinary):
Branch Classes:
Ages 3-4:
There are two lessons of sports, two lessons of music and one lesson of guidance per week. Branch lessons are half an hour long and are conducted by branch teachers.
Ages 4-5:
Two lessons of sports, two lessons of music, one lesson of ICT and one lesson of guidance per week. Branch lessons are half an hour and are conducted by branch teachers.
5-6 Yaş:
Two lessons of sports, two lessons of music, one lesson of ICT, Guidance and Turkish lessons per week. Branch lessons are half an hour long and are conducted by branch teachers.
Preparations Before Going Home:
At the end of the day, students fulfill their ongoing responsibilities. Our students:
Kemer Mah. Yüzyıl Işıl Sok. No: 2,
34773 Bahçeköy, Sarıyer – İstanbul
+90 212 349 41 03
Our campus is open 24/7.
Mithatpaşa Mah. Selanik Bulvarı
No: 194/A, 34075 Kemerburgaz,
Eyüpsultan – İstanbul
+90 212 349 45 50
Weekdays: 07.15 – 17.30
Weekends: Closed
Konaklar Mah. Zeki Müren Sok. No: 4/6/8,
34330 4. Levent, Beşiktaş – İstanbul
+90 212 349 06 50
Weekdays: 06.30 – 17.30
Saturday: 07.00 – 13.00
Aligned with the values, philosophy, and mission of Açı Schools, Açı Preschool aims to raise globally conscious individuals who are learners, free thinkers, decision-makers, and collaborative team players, working in solidarity to protect their communities and the natural environment.