Kindergarten Programs

Is it Already time for Kindergarten?

Weren't you just bringing them home from the hospital yesterday?  Didn’t they JUST learn to walk last week?  How can you already be looking into a K-12 schooling option for your most precious little one?  As all these thoughts swirl in your head, take a moment to reflect on God's word:

All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.

Isaiah 54:13

It is our prayer that you will find God’s peace and direction as you search for a K-12 school that will meet the academic, spiritual, physical, and social needs of your child(ren).  We are blessed that you are considering Wesleyan Christian Academy among those options and we’d like to take the opportunity to explain our two-year kindergarten program.

A Developmental Approach to Kindergarten

Wesleyan Christian Academy recognizes that God created every child with unique gifts and talents and that each child learns differently.  That's why for more than 40 years, Wesleyan has used the Gesell Developmental Observation to recommend a starting point of either Transitional Kindergarten (TK) or Kindergarten (K) for our youngest academic scholars.  We base our recommendation on your child's chronological and developmental age.  What we've found is that when children are placed according to their developmental readiness, the Lord enables parents and teachers alike to witness first-hand the academic, spiritual, and social success that follows the child throughout their K-12 experience.   

Transitional Kindergarten

Wesleyan Christian Academy’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program is designed to serve as a bridge between preschool and the more structured kindergarten learning environment.  Our TK program offers an extra year of kindergarten 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.
 
Transitional Kindergarten Highlights 
  • Chronological age of 5 by OCT 31 AND a developmental age of 4 1/2 to 5 years on the Gesell Observation
  • Two full-time teachers: 1 full-time lead teacher and 1 full-time assistant
  • Class size of 15-17 students
  • Less time on task initially as we gradually build the child's attention and focus
  • More group work and more time spent in various learning stations

Kindergarten

Children entering into Wesleyan's Kindergarten (K) program have the maturity to work on tasks with reasonable independence and remain focused on classroom tasks for longer time periods. They have well-developed fine motor skills that enable them to demonstrate mature pencil grips and good scissor use.  Beginning in January of each year, we form Kindergarten reading groups based on the children's reading skills and abilities.  Kindergarten moves at a quicker pace than TK.
 
Kindergarten Highlights
  • Chronological age of 5 by AUG 31, AND a developmental age of 5 1/2 to 6 years on the Gesell Observation
  • One full-time lead teacher and one part-time teaching assistant
  • Class size of 19-20 students
  • More time on task beginning at the very start of the school year
  • More independent, paper/pencil work with less time in learning stations

The Overarching Kindergarten Curriculum

Whether your child begins their journey in Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten our biblically-based, college-preparatory curriculum will provide a solid academic foundation for their K-12 career.  Core subjects include Language Arts, Reading Readiness / Reading, Math, Creative Expression, Social Studies, and Bible.  Weekly curricular specials include, Art, Technology, Media Center, Music, STEM, PE/Swimming, and Chapel.