Starting school is an important milestone for children, yet only 51% of children in Florida are ready for kindergarten. That’s problematic because research has shown that kids who are ready for kindergarten are more likely to succeed throughout their school career.
Fortunately, you can set your child up for success with a high-quality preschool education. Here’s how our preschool in Coconut Creek prepares kids for kindergarten.
What Does Being Ready for Kindergarten Mean?
Although all children who have reached the appropriate age are eligible to begin kindergarten, not all children will enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed. Educational professionals typically consider children ready when they’ve mastered certain skills.
These skills and milestones can signal that a young learner is ready to enroll in kindergarten:
- Plays well with others
- Communicates feelings
- Describes characteristics like hair and gender
- Problem solves with others
Physical Skills
- Personal hygiene skills, like hand washing
- Physical play and spatial awareness
- Eats and drinks without help
Approaches to Learning
- Curiosity
- Persistence
- Planning
- Reflection
Creative Expression
- Express thoughts and feelings through art
- Convey experiences through art
- Participate in musical activities, like dancing and singing
- Identify as an individual and describe differences from others
- Understand the roles community workers play
- Understand and follow the rules in family and school
- Understand the use of geographic resources, like maps and globes
Mathematics
- Count to 31
- Identify and create shapes
- Make simple patterns
- Identify sets of objects
Language and Literacy
- Follow two-step directions
- Ask and answer questions
- Retell stories
- Identify letters
- Write their own names
- Communicate clearly
Scientific Inquiry Skills
- Name and use all five senses
- Predict how the environment can change an object
- Use technology to learn
- Differentiate between living and non-living things
Get the Right Start at Providence Children’s Academy
It’s never too early to start preparing for kindergarten. Of course, children can learn many of the skills that are helpful in kindergarten much earlier, especially social skills.
At Providence Children’s Academy, we offer preschool classes for children from six weeks through four years when they enter our voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) program. Each class is geared to meet your child’s educational and developmental needs as they age.
When you enroll your child early in preschool in Coconut Creek, you give them a head start to build the skills they will need to thrive in kindergarten. Here’s some of what you can expect your child to experience and learn in our younger classes.
Infant/One-Year-Old Learning
- Storytime
- Music
- Singing
- Social interaction
Two-Year-Old Learning
- Basic Manners
- Safety practices
- Packing up after activities
- Hygiene
Three-Year-Old Learning
- Gross and fine motor coordination
- Understanding and showing empathy
- Staying on task
- Crafts
- Puzzles
- Games
What Is VPK?
VPK stands for voluntary prekindergarten. This program is provided by the Early Learning Coalition and is free for all four-year-olds living in Florida.
The VPK program was created to help children to learn the skills they need to succeed in their future kindergarten environments. In fact, studies have shown that 79% of children who complete VPK are prepared for kindergarten. This confirms that finishing VPK gives children an advantage as they begin their school careers.
VPK programs aren’t exclusive to Coconut Creek preschools, meaning you can find VPK programs throughout South Florida. However, in choosing the best-fit VPK learning for your child, you’ll want to explore each unique program before deciding. Parents are allowed to complete the VPK selection process once, so making the decision of where to enroll can be especially important.
See Why So Many Families Choose Our VPK Program for Their Children
The VPK program at Providence Children’s Academy is structured to provide children with all the educational and social skills they need to thrive in kindergarten. We adhere to the Department of Education guidelines set out for VPKs, and we keep our class sizes small.
The typical teacher-to-student ratio at our Coconut Creek preschool is 1:11, and the maximum class size is 20 students. This allows us to give children the attention they need to excel.
Further, we hire only the most qualified teachers for our VPK program. Teachers are required to have at least an associate degree in child development for our school-year program. For the summer program, teachers need a bachelor’s degree in early childhood ed or a related field. Additionally, all international teachers must pass government screening.
The Providence Difference
At Providence Children’s Academy, we understand that children learn best when they are having fun and learning hands-on. That’s why we use an interactive, curriculum-based methodology that allows your child to learn through play. Plus, our skilled staff are able to accommodate a variety of learning types to help children thrive.
In accordance with Department of Education guidelines, our VPK focuses on early literacy, including reading, writing, and social skills. We use a variety of creative activities to keep children engaged, and we sometimes assign homework to prepare children for the responsibility they are expected to show in kindergarten.
Importantly, our VPK program stimulates your child’s brain at an age-appropriate level, so literacy skills are easier to learn once they reach kindergarten. Our VPK also provides an opportunity for teachers to identify and address any learning challenges your children may have along the way. This kind of early intervention helps set your child up for success.
How to Enroll Your Children in Our Coconut Creek Preschool
Whether you are interested in VPK or younger classes, we encourage you to book a visit to our Coconut Creek preschool. It’s the best way to see for yourself whether Providence Children’s Academy is a good fit for your family.
And hey, we get it. We understand that choosing a preschool is a big decision, especially for VPK. That’s why we invite you to ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable entrusting your child to our care.
Once you’ve made the decision to enroll your child in Providence Children’s Academy, we’ll help you through the process. If you are enrolling your child in VPK, however, you’ll first need to register with the ELC. Then, select Providence Children’s Academy as your provider.
We are thrilled that you are considering joining the Providence Children’s Academy family, and we can’t wait to meet you! Contact us at (954) 570-6914 or complete our online form to get started.