Kyrene initiative gives little ones a jump start on preschool

Families in the Kyrene School district will get a chance to enroll their pre-school age children in one of two Early Learning Centers the district will launch during the upcoming school year. The centers will offer these youngest of students myriad ways to develop both social and academic skills as well as the chance to participate in school-wide events. Photo courtesy Kyrene School District Public Information Office
Families in the Kyrene School district will get a chance to enroll their pre-school age children in one of two Early Learning Centers the district will launch during the upcoming school year. The centers will offer these youngest of students myriad ways to develop both social and academic skills as well as the chance to participate in school-wide events.    —Photo courtesy Kyrene School District Public Information Office

By Diana Whittle

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Typically, preschoolers between the ages of 3 to 5 are bundles of energy and curiosity while they adapt to growing  beyond the toddler stage.

It’s also a time of rapid social maturity—when children move away from the secure boundary of parents to a world that includes other adults and children.

For these reasons, educators in the Kyrene School District believe there is value in classroom learning for these youngsters, so they have announced plans to launch two Early Learning Centers in the upcoming school year, including one at the Kyrene Traditional Academy on the Sureño campus in Chandler.

The curriculum helps to shape the development of the preschoolers, so they are better prepared for the more structured classroom setting of kindergarten. 

“We are excited to launch our new Early Learning Academy Program. This program offers an early introduction to KTA’s traditional learning environment and allows children a seamless transition to kindergarten,” said Amanda Nobisch, Kyrene Community Education Program Manager.

“Our program will fully integrate into the school culture of KTA, and the children participate in school-wide events, which can allow families an early start to their relationship with their child’s elementary school. The children also adhere to the school’s uniform policy.”

According to educational experts, by the pre-school age, children should be able to draw letters, numbers and symbols, identify colors and have a vocabulary of at least 5,000 words.

Socially they should be able to display empathy for their peers, be able to identify characteristics of themselves such as gender or race, and have the ability to understand stories and games.

During this stage, preschoolers also learn more sophisticated ways to relate to others and to manage their emotions. Teachers develop age-appropriate learning activities to curb preschool aggression by teaching children about emotions, helping them learn the names for those feelings, and giving them an outlet for their expression.

But the Early Learning Center curriculum also allows time for the children to initiate experiences and to express emotions through play. Structured play times allow children to experiment with and understand social roles, to develop social skills, to express and cope with feelings, relieve stress, exercise control over their surroundings and experiment with decision-making.

Nobisch says that teachers work to deliver a personalized approach to meet the individual needs of each student and their progress will be followed with portfolios and developmental assessments. 

The program is accepting enrollment now; tuition costs vary depending on whether a child is enrolled for the half- or full-day program. Options include morning or afternoon along with before- or after- care.

Full-day enrollment — 5 days, M-F, from  8 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. for $700 per month;

Half-day morning enrollment — 5 half day, M-F, from 8 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. for $350 per month;

Half-day  afternoon enrollment — 5 half day, M-F from noon – 3:15 p.m. for $350 per month;

Before care enrollment — 5 days, M-F from 6:30 a.m. – 8  a.m. for $105 per month

After care enrollment — 5 days, M-F from 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. for $105 per month

For additional information, call the Kyrene Customer Service Center at 480-541-1500.

 

 

 

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