Kindergarten Program
First-Year Kindergarten (K1) and Second-Year Kindergarten (K2)
When God blesses our homes with children, the life-enriching process of childrearing begins for us in earnest. Over time, He allows us to enjoy and encourage first crawls, first steps, and first bicycle rides. He will soon allow you the same type of experience for your child’s first day of kindergarten.
If the Lord directs you to Wesleyan Christian Academy, you will soon begin to experience its importance as an influential extension of your home. To be meaningful, this home/school relationship must be built upon the openness and honesty that are characteristic of settings that seek to honor our Lord.
For many of our kindergarten parents, the first joint decision they face involves one related to the two distinct kindergarten programs available here. We offer a K1 program for developmentally younger five-year-olds and a K2 program for developmentally older children. A synopsis of these two programs is offered below.
To help guide this decision, Wesleyan Christian Academy has used the Gesell assessment for more than 20 years. It involves an individualized, one-on-one teacher assessment that takes approximately 30 minutes and yields a developmental (or maturation) age for your child. Along with this meaningful component, the description of these respective programs (see below) should be helpful to parents in making a good decision.
When children at Wesleyan are placed according to their developmental readiness, the Lord has enabled parents and teachers alike to witness first-hand the success that follows these students in this important kindergarten year and beyond.
If you have questions about either program after reading this material, please be at liberty to contact Angel Taylor in our admissions office (884-3333, ext. 263). She will be happy to arrange for our elementary principal, elementary counselor, or one of our kindergarten teachers to contact you.
First-Year Kindergarten (K1)
Wesleyan Christian Academy’s K1 program is a transitional kindergarten that serves as a bridge between preschool and a more structured kindergarten learning environment (K2). It is a unique, hands-on program designed to meet the needs of developmentally young five-year-olds. Our program offers an extra year for children to acquire the maturity, learning habits, fine motor development, and attention span needed to succeed in school. It is a year for us to promote success, support positive self-esteem, and engage the five-year-old in the joys of learning.
The K1 program has been designed around a Biblical worldview to promote growth in Christian living while developing each child socially, emotionally, and physically. The curriculum develops skills in the areas of language arts, reading readiness, creative expression, math, science, technology, music, and fine motor skills. Children are offered a wide range of materials with which to manipulate, explore, and learn. Certified teachers, teacher assistants from 8:00 until 1:00, and small class sizes help to ensure that each child in the K1 program receives the personal attention he or she needs.
Children enrolled in the K1 program are given the gift of time, time essential to absorb and express ideas and concepts, to learn more about social skills and friendship, to develop independence, and to examine the world around them. Developmentally young five-year-olds are given the time they need to develop the confidence and maturity necessary for success in kindergarten. Our desire is for these children to reach their full God-given potential and to become leaders in these challenging times.
Second Year Kindergarten (K2)
Wesleyan Christian Academy’s K2 program is designed for more mature five-year-old children, young six-year-olds, or those that have successfully completed a K1 program that developed strong learning habits and fine motor development. Each class has a certified teacher and a teacher assistant from 8:00 to 1:00. The K2 program will be the foundation for their educational career, and it is our desire to see each child develop to his or her full potential.
Children entering our K2 program have the maturity to work on tasks with reasonable independence and remain focused on classroom-related tasks for longer time periods. Typically, K2 children have well-developed fine motor skills that enable them to demonstrate mature pencil grips and good scissor use. Generally, these children have well-developed social skills that enable them to interact cooperatively in small groups and play settings. Beginning in January of each year, we begin to form K2 reading groups, and a notable level of maturity is important for our students to succeed in this setting.
Children experience tremendous growth and development during this K2 year. At the conclusion of the academic year, children will be able to – but will not be limited to – read short stories, write simple sentences, and perform simple addition and subtraction facts.
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