Pre-K

An Overview of the Carden Hall Pre-Kindergarten Program

Children at play are really hard at work.

Our Pre-K program builds upon these youthful inclinations with hands-on, child-selected, interest-based play activities in our natural outdoor play area and in our classrooms with varied play centers. These facilities, our age-appropriate and creative curriculum, and our nurturing community inspire our early learners to build upon their curiosity to discover and experience wonder.

We carefully foster learning for the whole child with daily opportunities for growth in all four developmental domains: social/emotional, physical, language, and cognitive. Engagement with each aspect of a child’s life plays a crucial role in learning and provides healthy balance.

We believe that children must be active participants in the learning process and that their varied learning pace and styles should be encouraged. Our aim is to assist your child in developing creativity, self-direction, self-esteem, independence, and a passion for learning.

Each day in our full-day program, our early learners combine indoor and outdoor play. We strive for a balance of full-class and small-group activities that offer both teacher-initiated academic work and interest-driven free exploration.

Along with ensuring your child’s safety, our teachers stimulate each student’s natural intellectual curiosity and build upon the children’s ideas to create new knowledge. These experienced professionals strive to maintain a nurturing environment where learning takes place naturally so that each student feels successful every day.

At the discovery play centers, children work at their own level and pace. They pursue special interests that spark imagination, enhance social skills, and encourage productive and joyful collaboration.

In addition to the daily program provided by the classroom teachers, we offer special subject lessons in French, STEM, music, art, and physical education.

A rest time occurs after lunch each day so that children are able to feel refreshed and focused for the afternoon activities.

Several times each trimester, parents receive a detailed note outlining the events of that week. It often includes songs and poetry learned, the focus of numbers or language lessons, or a short discussion of the week’s social studies or science lessons. In addition, each note provides related enrichment ideas that parents can pursue with their children.

Early childhood play is the fundamental model of learning at Carden Hall in the Pre-Kindergarten program because it ensures the best preparation for later academic instruction. Our young learners transition easily to Kindergarten and lower elementary school. Having already acclimated to their school environment and having tasted the joys of learning, these young students approach further study with eagerness and confidence. This appropriate beginning leads to a life-long love of learning—the gift every child deserves.