Preschool
New for ’24-’25 School Year!
Mixed Age Class (3’s and 4’s)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
1 - 3:30 pm
Age 3 or 4 by September 1
CHKP is introducing a new, Mixed Age class this year. This class will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the afternoons and students who turn 3 by September 1st but who are not yet old enough for kindergarten are eligible to enroll.
Exploring the Benefits of Mixed-Age Preschool
At Cedar Hills Kindergarten & Preschool, we embrace the concept of mixed-age classrooms as it offers a myriad of benefits for children's development. One advantage of mixed-age preschool is the opportunity for younger children to learn from their older peers. Older children often exhibit leadership skills, empathy, and patience when guiding younger ones through activities, fostering a sense of responsibility and boosting their own self-esteem.
Another benefit is the promotion of social skills and cooperation among children of different ages. Interacting with peers who have varied experiences and abilities encourages empathy, communication, and cooperation, essential skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. Mixed-age groups also enable children to learn at their own pace, promoting individualized learning and allowing each child to progress based on their unique abilities and interests.
Furthermore, starting at age 3 in the program allows students to maintain a connection with a trusted teacher for multiple years, promoting a sense of security and continuity in learning. Finally, parents benefit from a range of parenting experiences within the community, providing support, guidance, and a reflective space on their child's educational journey.
In conclusion, a mixed-age preschool setting at Cedar Hills Kindergarten & Preschool provides an enriching environment where children can learn from one another, develop crucial social skills, and grow both academically and emotionally.
Fours Class
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
9 AM – 11:30 AM
Age 4 by September 1
Threes Class
Tuesday, Thursday
9 AM – 11:30 AM
Age 3 by September 1
We know that children learn best at this age by doing. They are explorers actively interested in learning about the world around them and constructing new understanding through experimentation and play. We support this by providing classrooms with engaging learning environments. These include: dramatic play, writing workshop, art studio, painting easels, sensory tables, woodworking, science inquiry, block building, loft, light zone, reading nook, obstacle course, cooking center, outdoor playground, and garden. Equipment and materials are flexible and open ended to encourage individual choice and critical thinking. We strive to encourage life-long wonder!
In our classrooms, children are invited to play games, tell stories, create plays, move to music, sing songs and fingerplays, explore new art mediums, manipulate puppets, make and eat a variety of foods, explore different tools, explore and measure different textures, read, write and share books, engineer constructions with large and small blocks, and on and on . . .
The preschool years are also a time of tremendous social growth; therefore, much attention is paid to the development of positive social skills. Many activities are designed to encourage social interactions and cooperative play. Caring adults are nearby to help children learn how to get a turn or how to resolve conflicts.
The preschool classes also participate in a variety of field trips throughout the year.
"Children learn to play together by playing together. They learn how to take turns by taking turns, how to share, by sharing, how to resolve conflicts that come up by resolving conflicts that come up. In order to learn how to do these things, children need to experience them firsthand. They need to do these things."
— Peter Campbell, "The Scripted Prescription, A Cure for Childhood," Rethinking Early Childhood Education
Mixed Age Schedule
12:40 PM — Arrival of Parent Teachers
1:00 PM — Children Arrive/Greetings, Shared Reading/Quiet Games
1:15 PM — Class Meeting, Exploration
2:35 PM — Clean Up
2:45 PM — Sharing Time
2:50 PM — Outside Exploration (Rain or Shine!)
3:15 PM — Group Activities*
3:30 PM — Parent Pick-Up
*Group activities include: music, fingerplays, movement, shared reading, and discussion.
Threes Schedule
8:50 AM — Arrival of the day’s Parent Teachers
9:00 AM — Arrival & Greeting Time
Studio/Art Room & Block Rooms are open
10:00 AM — Studio closes.
Group Time*
10:15 AM — Block Room and outdoor Play Yard are open
11:15 AM — Closing Group Time*
11:30 AM — Dismissal, Parent Teachers Clean Up
*Group Time activities include: Songs, stories, fingerplays, felt stories, games, books, discussions & problem solving, and occasional acting out of favorite stories.
Fours Schedule
8:30 AM — Arrival of Parent Teachers
9:00 AM — Children Arrive/Greetings, Shared Reading/Quiet Games
9:15 AM — Class Meeting, Exploration
10:35 AM — Clean Up
10:45 AM — Sharing Time
10:50 AM — Outside Exploration (Rain or Shine!)
11:15 AM — Group Activities*
11:30 AM — Parent Pick-Up
*Group activities include: music, fingerplays, movement, shared reading, and discussion.