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Step One’s Bridge Kindergarten program, established in 1984, was created for those children who seemed perhaps academically ready for kindergarten but not yet developmentally ready. It is a more structured environment than the nursery school classrooms, yet still provides a non-stressful, enriched experience where children expand the tools they have into ones they will need for elementary school and for lifelong learning.
Children participating in the Bridge K program should turn 5 years old on or before December 31st of the school year and must have at least one year of prior preschool experience before entering our program. Children graduating from the Bridge Kindergarten program move on to other kindergartens or to first grade, depending on their age and developmental needs.
The following areas are stressed in our curriculum: Most of our activities encompass aspects of all these curriculum areas. Organic gardening and weekly cooking projects are two of the children’s favorite science and math activities. Each school year, the Bridge Kindergarten children experience twice the full life cycle of the garden. They create signs for the garden, and monitor the growth of their crops. Growing and cooking with foods that they have helped grow helps to instill the value of healthful eating and broadens their taste for different foods.
Step One’s Bridge Kindergarten benefits from active parent participation. We work to maintain good communication between home and school so we can work together to help each child. Parents play a vital role in our program and volunteer for a number of support tasks in the classroom. Parents are welcome to participate in the classroom according to talents, time, and desire. We have a weekly sign-up for activities between 9:30 and 10:30 each day.
There is daily to weekly communication between teachers and parents. Twice during the year (Fall and Spring) parents meet with one of the Kindergarten teachers to discuss their child’s school experience and how we can work together to make that experience optimal. At other times parents may request a phone call or a meeting to discuss concerns that may arise about their child’s progress.
We also provide written information for parents who are exploring school options for the years following Step One. We make available a list of Step One alumni attending all the different public and private schools in the area; these families are willing to talk to current Step One families about their school experience.
Children participating in the Bridge K program should turn 5 years old on or before December 31st of the school year and must have at least one year of prior preschool experience before entering our program. Children graduating from the Bridge Kindergarten program move on to other kindergartens or to first grade, depending on their age and developmental needs.
The following areas are stressed in our curriculum: Most of our activities encompass aspects of all these curriculum areas. Organic gardening and weekly cooking projects are two of the children’s favorite science and math activities. Each school year, the Bridge Kindergarten children experience twice the full life cycle of the garden. They create signs for the garden, and monitor the growth of their crops. Growing and cooking with foods that they have helped grow helps to instill the value of healthful eating and broadens their taste for different foods.
Step One’s Bridge Kindergarten benefits from active parent participation. We work to maintain good communication between home and school so we can work together to help each child. Parents play a vital role in our program and volunteer for a number of support tasks in the classroom. Parents are welcome to participate in the classroom according to talents, time, and desire. We have a weekly sign-up for activities between 9:30 and 10:30 each day.
There is daily to weekly communication between teachers and parents. Twice during the year (Fall and Spring) parents meet with one of the Kindergarten teachers to discuss their child’s school experience and how we can work together to make that experience optimal. At other times parents may request a phone call or a meeting to discuss concerns that may arise about their child’s progress.
We also provide written information for parents who are exploring school options for the years following Step One. We make available a list of Step One alumni attending all the different public and private schools in the area; these families are willing to talk to current Step One families about their school experience.
enjoy the process.