Pre-K Program & Curriculum

It is Montgomery ISD’s mission to offer a high-quality Early Childhood program that fosters cognitive development, emotional awareness, and physical competencies through age appropriate and engaging activities. Children enrolled in these programs learn through research-based experiences involving play and investigations provided in a safe and nurturing environment. By purposefully planning meaningful experiences, the development of each child’s conceptual understanding, basic academic skills, and love of learning is cultivated. Our mission is to build a strong social, emotional, and academic foundation that prepares each child for future success. MISD’s program provides all children with access to high quality, comprehensive prekindergarten education that supports their developmental progress. It also ensures that children with disabilities have the opportunity to learn and play alongside their peers in the least restrictive environment. Working within a context of children, families, and communities, MISD is committed to creating an engaging learning environment that supports and respects the unique potential of each individual through evidence-based practices. Because of common goals and high expectations, our team is dedicated to building a strong foundation and igniting a passion for lifelong learning for children and their families in order to prepare them for the future.

Our goal is to provide a child-centered early childhood program that establishes a foundation for future success and fosters a lifelong love for learning. Our program promotes the development of successful, confident learners by ensuring children receive strong foundational knowledge and skills across the primary domains of development: social and emotional development, language and communication, reading, writing, math, science, at, physical development and technology. When children are given the opportunity to experience learning, not only are they gifted a chance to increase their academic readiness, enhance language proficiency, and improve social and emotional skills, they are also exposed to learning independence and socialization. In Montgomery, we create learning environments that promote play with purpose, spark curiosity, nurture self-assurance, and cultivate a passion for learning in every child. Montgomery ISD offers a full-day Pre-K program at each of our elementary campuses. We want to be sure that every eligible child is given the opportunity to grow in a safe, secure, nurturing environment!

Staff Qualifications

Classrooms are staffed with a teacher certified in early childhood. These classrooms also have access to highly qualified instructional support assistants and will maintain an appropriate student-teacher ratio. All staff have cleared the State of Texas background check.

Report of Child’s Progress/Conference and Progress Reports

Parent conferences are scheduled once during the Fall Semester. Appointments should be made with the teacher to discuss your child’s progress if needed. Conferences are available by request at any time. Students will receive a progress report each nine weeks as determined by the elementary reporting dates on the district student calendar. The report card will give parents valuable information on how well their child is progressing. Your child’s teacher will develop a communication system to keep you regularly informed about your child at school. A weekly folder will contain communication for parents and students. These will also be avenues for parents to ask questions or inform parents of anything they need to communicate.

Parents are asked to immediately advise teachers and the Registrar of changes of address, phone numbers, or emergency numbers. It is also advised that parents let teachers know if there is a change in the child’s home (hospital, illness, death, divorce, trip, new baby, etc). These events do affect children and their performance in class.

Pre-K Behavior Guidelines

Students must follow Montgomery ISD guidelines for behavior. If persistent negative behaviors interfere with the learning of others and consistently require an adult’s supervision, the parent/guardian will be notified of a teacher/parent conference. If the negative behaviors persist the student will be held to the appropriate consequences outlined in the student code of conduct. If at any time the school staff determines the student may be a student with a disability, they will follow the procedures for referral for an evaluation. If the student is evaluated and qualifies for special education services the student will be withdrawn from the tuition-based program and the special education services will be provided in the appropriate setting determined by the ARD.

Attendance Guidelines

The classroom teacher will keep documentation on attendance, and regular attendance is expected. All students are expected to arrive before the tardy bell at 8:15 a.m. and remain at school for the duration of the day. When your child(ren) arrives late it disrupts his/her learning and the learning of others.

The daily schedule includes going outdoors for large motor activities except during inclement weather. Your child should come to school properly dressed to participate in gross motor activities. Closed toe shoes or tennis shoes are preferred.

All campuses have a seperate playground for pre-kindergarten students to use as safety is always our top priority.

Change of Clothes:

Occasionally accidents do happen. For this reason, please send a change of clothing (shirt, underwear, pants/skirt, and socks) in a clear plastic bag with your child’s name written on the outside of the bag. All clothing should also be labeled. The clothes will be kept in the student’s backpack.

Dress Code:

Students should follow the dress code outlined in the Montgomery ISD Student Handbook. Because of the active nature of pre-K, students should wear clothing and shoes that allow for easy movement. It is advisable that your child dress in clothing that is easily washed since much of time is spent exploring our world. Clothing should also be easy for your child to remove for bathroom purposes. Appropriate clothing includes tennis shoes, pants, shorts, skirt (with shorts underneath), socks, and a shirt.

The daily schedule provides a routine designed to meet the needs of the children. Classroom schedules may differ; however, all schedules provide for:

● A balance between active and quiet activities

● Individual, small, and large group activities (centers)

● Outdoor play/gross motor

● A balance between child-initiated and teacher-directed activities

● Children being read to individually and in small and large groups

● Literacy rich classrooms to facilitate reading and academic readiness

● Meals – breakfast and lunch are available for purchase through the cafeteria

● Bathroom Breaks – classrooms are equipped with a bathroom for quick and secure access

The classroom teacher will provide the parent/guardian with a general daily schedule. Students in the Pre-K Program will be included in the campus activities as much as is appropriate.

● The campus will have access to a registered nurse.

● The classroom staff will follow universal precautions when dealing with bodily fluids.

● If a student becomes hurt or seriously ill during the day all efforts will be made to contact the parent/guardian or person listed on the emergency contact list. If the parent/guardian or person cannot be reached by telephone, the student will be transported by ambulance to an emergency room and the parent/guardian will be held responsible for all expenses.

● Students must be free of fever (without the help of medicine) and communicable diseases 24 hours or have a doctor’s release in order to attend school.

● Medications will be dispensed according to the district guidelines.

● Students aged four (4) years and older will receive school based vision and hearing screenings.

● Students may eat breakfast prior to arrival at school or may purchase breakfast from the cafeteria prior to the official start of the school day.

● Students may purchase lunch from the cafeteria or may bring a lunch from home.

● Occasionally the teachers may choose a cooking activity and request for parents/guardians to bring certain foods to school.

● If a student has any allergies please notify the classroom teacher and the school nurse.

Prior to the beginning of each school year, your child’s school will a supply list. The list may include such things as tissue, notebook, folder, crayons or paper. Parents/guardians will also be responsible for the student’s backpack and an extra set of clothing. Parents are encouraged to label all personal items (ex: backpack and clothing) with the child’s name. A campus specific school supply list can be provided to you upon request during registration and can also be found on the campus website.

MISD will follow the Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum which is based on the TEA Pre-Kindergarten Guidelines. The program provides a language and literacy enriched environment with many opportunities for hands-on learning. For more information, visit the TEA Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines online.

~ Pre-Kindergarten Units PDF ~ Purposeful Play PDF

Learning Centers & Interest Areas:

Prekindergarten uses the center approach to learning. Centers are areas with educational materials that provide opportunities for different types of learning during Work Time. It is important to remember that children learn many important skills while they play. Interest areas evolve throughout the year, but some examples include:

Blocks — children learn:

· spatial awareness

· large and fine motor coordination

· teamwork and planning

· problem solving and creativity

· eye hand coordination and sensory skills

Technology — children learn:

· eye hand coordination

· language development

· cooperation

· listening and following directions

· problem solving

Library — children learn:

· care and respect for books

· imagination and storytelling

· sequencing and early reading concepts

· left to right progression

· interpreting pictures and details

Dramatic Play — children learn:

· self confidence through role play

· language, motor, and early math skills

· problem solving in real life situations

Toys and Games — children learn:

· naming and describing objects

· patterns and relationships

· sorting and classifying

· one to one correspondence

· problem solving and persistence

· fine motor skills and comparisons

Discovery — children learn:

· exploration of the natural and mechanical world

· observing sequences and relationships

· predicting and drawing conclusions

· sorting and comparing

· investigating with tools

· peer interaction and responsibility

Sand and Water — children learn:

· hands on science and math skills

· eye hand coordination

· problem solving and comparison

· concentration

Art — children learn:

· creativity and self expression

· experimenting with color, shape, and texture

· fine motor and eye hand coordination

· respect for others’ artistic work

· visual and tactile development