The Gift of a Year...Before Kindergarten

Before we know it, the date for the new school year will arrive...and there will be mommies shedding tears as little ones take those first steps toward the Kindergarten classroom. Many of those children are more than ready to begin, but some of them would benefit greatly from an extra year of readiness...and a little more time with those sweet moms! Transitional Kindergarten provides a wonderful option for "young fives". Children whose birthdays occur in the spring, summer, or very early fall, even though making the school cutoff dates, could often benefit greatly from the extra time to develop physically, academically, in emotional and social maturity, as well as the area of independence. It can be so beneficial for parents to consider the foresight in making a decision that may seem obvious and trivial at the time, but can truly have long term effects on the educational journey of their child.

Transitional Kindergarten is the place where a child can blossom and grow in a more relaxed environment, and one that offers smaller class sizes. It is not just another year of preschool, but rather a place that introduces the structure of Kindergarten with allowances of more time for learning through play. Opportunities are provided for socialization, fine and gross motor development, reading readiness...including print awareness, introductions to letters and sounds, and oral development. Math is hands-on, activity-based...encompassing patterning, sorting, classifying, counting and number recognition, and graphing. As the children learn "through play," social skills are developed, attention spans are expanded, and a love for learning is inspired! Transitional Kindergarten offers another year of preparation and maturity...building stronger students...who succeed rather than struggle and who have a greater likelihood for becoming leaders instead of followers.

The years go by way too fast. You can't get them back. Consider Transitional Kindergarten...what a great option for prolonging childhood!