Pre-Kindergarten

Our Pre-Kindergarten program provides young children, aged 4-5, with a rich and stimulating environment for learning. The main goal of the program is to provide each child with a sound educational foundation while also beginning to develop a sense of responsibility, independence, compassion, fairness, and respect for self and others.

Hands-on learning is of primary importance as children of this age learn by doing. The Pre-Kindergarten curriculum, which is aligned with the Core Knowledge Pre-School Sequence™ and AERO (American Education Reaches Out) standards, provides our youngest children with rich experiences and the necessary building blocks that tie to the Lower School curriculum. In 2021, we were granted exemption from the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS), largely because we do not follow the British National Curriculum, and Independent schools are given the option to opt out of the EYFS program. The details of the exemption are kept in the Lower School Office. We are required to follow Section 3 of “The Early Years Statutory Framework,” which details all of the safeguarding and welfare requirements for our Pre-Kindergarten program.

Literacy experiences enable children to better communicate with the world around them – to express their ideas and interpret those expressed by others. In the classroom, written, oral, tactile, visual, and auditory experiences occur daily, both individually as well as in small and whole groups. Students develop key pre-reading skills such as print awareness, phonemic awareness (knowledge of sounds in words), early phonics knowledge, and comprehension of text that is read aloud. They also participate in emerging writing activities such as storytelling, mark making, letter formation, and dictating their own “published” pieces. Social awareness, cooperation, and enjoyment are woven into all activities and group experiences. The emphasis is on preparation for the more symbolic and higher-level cognitive and developmental tasks in Kindergarten, first, and second grade.

Children discover mathematical relationships through counting, pattern identification, problem-solving, daily calendar work, and graphing. As in other areas, the use of varied classroom sensorial and manipulative materials assists young children as they learn to compare, arrange, and classify objects in their environment. Number, color, texture, size, and form are among the many attributes they examine. These activities enable students to progress gradually from concrete to more abstract concepts in subsequent grades.

Social studies and science are important and interrelated components of the curriculum. Information and activities in these subjects encourage children to explore and learn about themselves, their relationships, and their immediate environment. They begin to develop problem-solving skills and independence.

With an emphasis on social and practical skills, children learn to take care of themselves and their environment. Whether it is practicing tying shoes, serving snacks, or cleaning up after themselves, practical life experiences encourage the development of autonomy and self-confidence.