Junior Kindergarten Program

Where Young 5-Year-Olds Find Their Path

Adjusting to the routines of a kindergarten school day is an essential skill for children entering elementary school. In this program, children have kindergarten-level learning experiences in reading, writing, and math that are presented using nationally recognized, award-winning curricula. This classroom provides young 5-year-olds and older 4-year-olds with a strong focus on:

Following multi-step instructions
Finding multiple ways to solve problems
Organizing work
Controlling impulses and sustaining attention

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Junior Kindergarten Classroom

The Junior Kindergarten classroom reflects a kindergarten environment, offering opportunities for children in six individual learning areas.

Dramatic Play Center

Pretend and imaginative play opportunities allow children to try on different roles and materials, and to practice their social-emotional skills.

Block Center

Learning how things work and fit together is the essential result of using different materials to build constructions and creations.

Fine Arts Center

Children work with a variety of art materials and color concepts, as they develop their creative skills, solve problems, and express themselves.

Science & Math Center

Science and math concepts are explored through experiments that help children practice investigative and critical-thinking skills.

Writing & Language Center

Through letter and word recognition and formation, separating words into sounds, and assembling sounds to make words, children develop their written communication skills.

Library Center

In a cozy space filled with books, children work on their literacy skills, such as story reasoning, print awareness, and word recognition.

Curriculum & Developmental Benchmarks

Junior Kindergarten offers comprehensive learning experiences in science, social studies, the arts, literacy, and math, highlighted by these nationally recognized, award-winning, research-based curricula:

Literacy by Design^™: Highlighted by large class and small-group instruction, plus independent reading experiences, this curriculum ensures a seamless reciprocity between reading and writing. Fully correlated to state standards, this program inspires students with the art of active literacy.

My Math: Using research-based strategies, this program offers children a focus on real-world applications, challenging and inspiring them to grow confident in their own mathematical skills. Conceptual understanding, procedural skill, and fluency are all developed in this approach.

Handwriting Without Tears^®: As children learn the proper formation of letters, handwriting becomes an easy and automatic skill, while the program improves their spacing, letter size, and overall eligibility. This unique program was developed for children by occupational therapists.

In this classroom, children work to develop kindergarten-level skills, without the expectation of mastery. Their advancement is tracked across seven developmental scales:

Language & Literacy

The ability to name the letters in the alphabet, both upper- and lowercase; the ability to assemble sounds in order to read and write short words. Engage in early writing, reading, communication, and vocabulary.

Sample Activity: Finding Mm in text!

Milestone: Names all letters of the alphabet, upper- and lowercase.

Desired Outcome: Students have the ability to name all 26 letters of the alphabet, upper- and lowercase.

Sample Activity

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Math

The ability to solve problems with the use of concrete materials; the ability to use numbers to add, subtract, measure, and graph; the ability to understand patterns, sorting and ordering, and geometry.

Nature and Science

The ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the natural and physical world; the ability to observe, describe, predict, and gather data.

Sample Activity: Build a Habitat!

Milestone: Observing and Describing Living Things: Describes/draws the type of shelter used by familiar animals.

Sample Activity

Social Studies

The ability to understand and explore themselves, their family, their community, and the world.

Creative Arts

The ability to express themselves, their ideas and feelings, by engaging in experiences of music, movement, drama, and visual arts.

Physical Development and Health

The ability to use fine and gross motor skills to explore their environment, as well as to deepen their understanding of health and nutrition.

Critical Learning Skills

The ability to employ self-regulation, to sustain attention, to follow routines, to explore different perspectives, to follow complex directions, and to communicate effectively.