Kindergarten at Grace

• Students who will turn 5 years old before September 1st of the school year may go into either K-1 or K-2, based on the results of their developmental assessment.

• Students who turn 5 years old on or between September 1st and November 30th of the school year qualify for kindergarten, but will be automatically placed in K-1.

• Students who turn 5 years old on or after December 1st of the school year do not qualify for kindergarten and are recommended to apply for our PS4 (Pre-K) program at Grace Preschool. Click here to learn more about our Preschool program.

• K-1 is a developmentally appropriate traditional kindergarten program designed to provide students with the gift of time to facilitate growth in all aspects: academically, socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically, linguistically, and spiritually. K-1 students participate in station-based learning, enjoy extended recess time for gross-motor development, and work on phonetic awareness in order to reach the early emergent reader phase by the end of the year. Students who complete K-1 will then go on to K-2 before entering 1st grade.

• K-2 is an academically accelerated kindergarten program where the focus is on building independence, confidence, and strong literacy in preparation for 1st grade. K-2 students sit at individual desks, spend extended time completing written tasks, and begin reading very early in the school year. It is often compared to a pre-first grade.

No, K-1 is not the same as TK. While most TKs (Transitional Kindergartens) offer a play-based pre-kindergarten curriculum intended for four year olds, K-1 is what we sometimes call traditional kindergarten. K-1 students are chronologically and developmentally ready for a classic kindergarten experience, turning 5 years old prior to December 1st of the school year. 

As many schools will readily tell you, most kindergartens today are far more academic and challenging than the kindergarten that you, the parent, experienced when you were a child. However, while curriculum standards continue to accelerate, children still develop at the same pace they always have. And, just as every child crawls at a different age and talks at a different age, every student reaches the developmental milestones necessary for school at their own pace. Rather than placing every child on the same "pipeline," our K-1/K-2 program allows us to meet each child where they are at, honoring their individual development and granting the gift of time to those who need it. When students are developmentally ready for the tasks they are being asked to complete, they are empowered to feel successful at school and are more likely to enjoy the education process, setting them up for a lifelong love of learning.

With this in mind, our K-1 class follows a traditional kindergarten model with station-based learning, extended recess times, and a rest time each afternoon. Our curriculum focuses on phonics and emergent-reader skills, fine motor skills, social/emotional skills such as self-regulation and classroom participation, and beginning math skills. We often compare it to the kindergarten that we, the teachers and parents, attended when we were students.

Students who attend K-1 will complete K-2 the following year before moving on to first grade. This ensures that every student entering 1st grade at Grace is academically and developmentally ready for our challenging, accelerated program.

Yes. Because our first grade curriculum anticipates a high level of literacy from incoming students, all students must complete K-2 before moving on to first grade. Therefore, students who begin in K-1 will complete two years of kindergarten. 

Because our placement is based on individual development rather than birthdate, this means your child will be with his or her developmental peers rather than chronological peers. And yes, that does mean some students will be 19 when they graduate high school. This can make some parents nervous, but as a PK-12 school, we can assure you that it's not as scary as it sounds! For over 30 years, we have seen repeatedly that giving students more time on the front end to develop and establish a strong academic foundation sets them up for long-term success. Colleges and employers don't care what age your student will be when he/she graduates high school, but they will care if your student is struggling academically or is socially/emotionally immature compare to their peers. Giving students the gift of time will only benefit them in the long run!

Beginning your child's education journey with a developmentally appropriate class placement ensures that your child will feel successful and good at school, a mindset that will set them up for success for the rest of their life!

The Gesell Developmental Assessment is a comprehensive assessment developed by Yale's Gesell Institute. The assessment evaluates a child’s developmental age, which does not always correlate precisely to a child's chronological age. Children who are the appropriate chronological age to enter kindergarten in the fall, approximately between 4.9 and 5.6 years of age, are assessed in the spring by qualified classroom teachers to ensure accurate placement in our two-year kindergarten program. We assess the developmental readiness of the whole child: physical, social-emotional, cognitive and linguistic. The Gesell Assessment does NOT evaluate intelligence. Rather, it evaluates developmental milestones necessary for reading, writing, and other school-related tasks.

Parents often ask if there are ways to study or prepare for the assessment. Because the Gesell Assessment evaluates development rather than knowledge, the best way to prepare is simply to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy, balanced meal before you come!

When discussing the assessment with your child, we recommend referring to it as "kindergarten games" rather than calling it an assessment or test. This makes it much more exciting and much less scary! Please do not use "pass/fail" language when discussing the assessment with your child.