Young 5’s Kindergarten Program

What is Young 5’s Kindergarten?

Young 5’s Kindergarten (formerly called Developmental Kindergarten) is a full day kindergarten program that offers children born between September 1st and December 1st the opportunity to develop school readiness skills by utilizing a slower paced curriculum. It allows young learners to mature and develop academically at a more manageable pace before entering a traditional Kindergarten class the following year. The Young 5’s program bridges the gaps between Pre-K and kindergarten to help ensure that our youngest students are developmentally ready across all social, emotional and academic domains. It is considered an intervention year with the goal of helping students, who are not quite ready for the rigors of traditional kindergarten, grow and develop the necessary skills to be successful in a school setting. There is an intentional focus on social and emotional development, play-based learning and giving children the opportunity to develop organically through play and exploration in a smaller classroom setting. We use a kindergarten curriculum and have academic standards and goals that will be mastered. The slower paced day allows children to grow at their own pace, feel less overwhelmed and more successful with their learning and mastering of these goals.

What Are the Benefits of Young 5’s Kindergarten?

The Young 5’s Program, followed by an additional year of traditional Kindergarten, gives children the opportunity to develop and learn over a longer range of time.

It offers children a chance to:

• Develop socially and emotionally while building academic skills
• Develop social, independence and self-regulation skills alongside academic skills 
• Interact with the curriculum and build skills at a slower pace 
• Become more confident communicators and build vital social skills