Overview: CFA Special Nursery Program

The Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA) Special Nursery Program is composed of:

1. Reading Program, supplemented by a Writing and Activity Workbook plus a Pronunciation Guide audio CD; and
2. Math Ideas for Nursery.

Reading Program

CFA based it’s Reading Program on the Distar Reading Program of Science Research Associates, Inc. (SRA), a successfully proven program for teaching reading.  In CFA’s Reading Program, the process was simplified so that it can be used to teach average 3-year-old kids.

The program is made up of 100 lessons, each of which aims to teach children how to read in the easiest possible way and at the shortest possible time.  It also comes with a Writing and Activity Workbook, which is also made up of 100 lessons and only makes sense when used in conjunction with the program.  The lessons are to be taught one at a time, i.e. one lesson per day.

The Lessons

Each lesson has detailed instructions for the parent on what to say and do and can be done in about 30 minutes or less.  It may be done 5-7 days a week.  Five days a week is the minimum because the child should be continuously exposed to what has been taught since the lessons build on one another.

Even if your child seems like he can still take on more information, it is best to stick to one lesson per day.  The learning will be more firm and stable if the child is given ample time to digest and absorb what has been taught.  Since children thrive with routine, it is advisable to conduct the lessons at a specific time everyday.

Different Parts of a Lesson

1. Introducing a Sound – study the pronunciation guide first to make sure you know the correct way a letter sounds before you teach your child
2. Blending Exercises – linking together the sounds in a given word
3. Sounds Reading/Sounds Review – review of the sounds your child has learned so far
4. Saying the Sound in Words – your child will start reading a word.  This part later progresses to Reading Words and Reading Words Fast.
5. Saying the Words in a Sentence – starts in Lesson 7 where your child will start reading a simple tw0-word sentence.
6. Sounds Writing and Identification Exercises – part of the lesson where the Writing and Activity Workbook is used

Math Ideas for Nursery

A manual that lists down the concepts that 3- to 5-year-old children can and should learn, together with ideas on how to present them in a natural way, e.g. by using objects around the house.  It is recommended that you teach two to three concepts a week.

1. Same and different
2. Sizes (7 concepts)
3. Directions and Positions (9 concepts)
4. 8 Shapes (teach 2 shapes at a time)
5. 10 Colors (teach 2 colors at a time)
6. Numbers 0 to 10
7. Days of the week
8. Months of the year
9. Fractions (2 concepts)
10. Ordinals (2 concepts)