Project First Step works with children to help them gain the physical experiences necessary in order for successful academic learning to take place. We´ve all heard the cliche, You have to crawl before you can walk. When a child skips steps in development, fundamental physical readiness skills may also be bypassed.
Project First Step relates to academic success by teaching fundamental physical skills. These skills include: 
*   Balance - the ability to be able to move your body under control.
*   General Coordination - the ability to coordinate movement.
*   Body Image - knowing where parts of the body are and using them effectively.
*   Hand-Eye Coordination - using hands and eyes effectively at the same time.
*   Laterality/Directionality - knowing internally left from right, top from bottom, and front from back.
*   Tactile Touch - feeling objects as they are meant to be felt.
*   Audio Receptive/Audio Expressive Language - the ability to hear and distinguish between the basic sounds in a given language and the ability to express those sounds in a distinguishable manner.

Teachers at CSA have been trained in Project First Step and use the Project First Step Calendar to enhance the children´s fundamental physical skills in the classroom. Recent brain research has concluded that certain connections must be made in the brain in order for children to learn at their optimum level. These connections are enhanced through physical activities, which are performed with a purpose. The fundamental physical skills listed above are the cornerstone of Project First Step and help to make these necessary connections between the physical world and the other domains such as the cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional areas.