Early Education
Kindergarten / Junior Kindergarten

Our Junior Kindergarten classes are tailored to prepare children for Kindergarten. Junior Kindergarten is specifically for children 4 years old and those who turn 5 after our September 1st Kindergarten cutoff date who, typically, are not ready for the more rigorous academic curriculum that kindergarten standards require. It stands to reason:  children who turn four in the Fall are ten to eleven months younger than the children who have already turned five in December and January, an eternity at that age.

Junior Kindergarten offers these children an opportunity for more structure and concepts than the Preschool program without putting them in the kindergarten environment in which they are less able to grasp the concepts, to converse in group discussions and to socialize with their kindergarten classmates.

Junior Kindergarten ensures that children have mastered certain social, emotional and physical milestones before they enter a more academic kindergarten program. As we know, our fours and fives are still learning the art of conflict resolution. A child’s personality, sense of self and attitude towards learning develops at a very young age. Our Junior Kindergarten program places an emphasis on creating an environment that nurtures this process.

We are a center-based school with focus on socialization. We saturate the child with literature, art, music, dance and every type of play. The children visit the library and dance room weekly to work with specialists in language, music and dance. We also merge Spanish language and culture into their daily activities, as well as regular trips to the community garden.