PRE-K 4

PK4 Program (Children turning 4 by June 1st)
Monday through Friday 9:00am – 11:30am
Extended Hours available before 9:00, until 3:00, or as late as 5:30

The PK4 class is designed for children who are not quite old enough for the Pre-K program. Children must be 4 by June 1st to be eligible for this class*. While most preschools employ only one certified early childhood teacher and an assistant in each classroom, King’s Gate classrooms are taught by two early childhood certified teachers. Working together as a team, these teachers apply their combined experience to teach and assess King’s Gate children.

This curriculum for this class is a developmental curriculum that is a mix between the 3-Day and the Pre-K curriculums. Children at this age have a natural love of learning, and this class equips them with the necessary skills to be successful learners.

Each week a new thematic unit is introduced, and the activities in the classroom are built around the theme of the week. Each day begins with morning meeting, which is a teacher-directed large group time during which math, language, spelling, and reading readiness skills are introduced by the teacher. The class practices counting with calendar activities every day. The morning meeting time allows concepts to be introduced to the class as a whole, as well as providing a sense of community in the classroom. The PK4 class focuses on social as well as academic skills. Some of the social skills the class focuses on are listening, respecting others, sharing and conflict resolution.

After morning meeting, the children continue their day with small group time in learning centers. The centers provide for continued learning through age-appropriate developmental play. Some of the centers the children explore in PK4 are math, science, sensory table, blocks, free art, journal writing, home living, computer and Bible.

One highlight of the PK4 class is Author Week. Once a month they dedicate a week to reading books by a well-known author. At the end of the week the children choose their favorite character from a book they have read, and illustrate a picture of that character in their author journals. To help them remember the authors’ names and the books they have written, the children take home a book treasure to keep in a special box.

The children have music with Ms. Leah on Thursday, science with Ms. Laurie on Friday, and chapel every Monday. Using the Growing with Mathematics® curriculum, the class will have the opportunity to build new understanding of mathematic concepts every day.

Each week, the PK4 class works very hard to learn to write the letter of the week. On Mondays, they focus on the sound the letter represents The children will take ABC bags home to find things around their house that start with the letter of the week, and they place them in their bags. They bring their bags back to school to share the items they found with the class. On Tuesdays, they focus on a particular letter working with the Handwriting Without Tears® curriculum using the mat and wood pieces. On Wednesday and Thursday, they will continue working on the letter of the week using “the wet/dry try” method and the Stamp & See Screen. At the end of the week, the children will write that letter in their ABC journals. Throughout the year the children are introduced to writing their numerals using the Handwriting Without Tears® curriculum also.

The PK4 class is designed to meet all children’s learning needs in a safe and loving environment. Learning in the PK4 class is fun!

*Some exceptions are made for children who turn 4 before school starts. The child must screen developmentally 4 years old on a Gesell Developmental Assessment. The child must be completely potty trained.