MILLSTONE — The Kiddie Academy of Millstone has expanded its offerings for the 2009-10 school year.

The early learning center at 518 Route 33 W will be offering a family book club and after-school tutoring free of charge beginning the week of Oct. 5.

The center will have selected books available for families to take home and read together. On alternating Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Kiddie Academy will host families involved in the club and have them participate in enrichment activities, focusing on the book that they have just read.

Additionally, the learning center will offer after-school tutoring for elementary school-age children. Each Wednesday, students will be able to visit the school 5-6:30 p.m. to meet with a teacher for extra help in math and language arts skills and homework.

Music Note, a program that promotes and reinforces learning through music, will also be returning to the early learning center beginning Sept. 14. The session, run by board certified music therapist Kymberly Tindall, uses musical therapy techniques to coincide with and supplement the curriculum used at the early learning center.

"The fusion of learning and fun found in Music Note is a perfect compliment for our aims at Kiddie Academy, where we use different activities as a means to educate so seamlessly that our students are not even aware that they are learning," Director Kristina Solimeo, said.

The Music Note program begins with an introductory song for the entire school to promote a sense of community within the classes. The classes then progress to using small instruments to join in updated versions of classic elementary learning songs, reinforcing the use of fine and gross motor skills. The students also actively participate during "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," where students follow directives that teach awareness of their own bodies by coupling vocabulary with visual aids.

The Kiddie Academy of Millstone provides early learning for children ages six weeks through full-day kindergarten. Teachers lead small groups through the use of developmentally appropriate curriculums and lesson plans. Each class is equipped with their own curriculum, designed to target the cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth appropriate to each age group. The teachers also pull from other supplemental curriculums to both meet and challenge the academic growth of their students.

To enrich the learning of its students, Kiddie Academy also offers a number of extracurricular activities each week, which allow students to develop and diversify their interests, in areas such as music and sports.

To learn more about what the Kiddie Academy of Millstone has to offer, call 732- 446-0029.