Welcome to Saint Joseph Catholic School’s Early Childhood Programs! These early years in childhood lay the foundation for future learning. We believe that all children are unique and special individuals that develop at their own time and pace. Our programs will:
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Give children a wonderful opportunity to grow and explore.
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Provide a loving, secure environment in which children will develop spiritually, socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually.
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Develop strong character in young children by offering healthy Catholic values, a positive self-image and a spirit of sharing.
We offer three different early childhood programs: for the three-year-old, a Preschool Class (TR half days), and for the four-five-year-old, a Pre-Kindergarten Class (MWF full day), or Junior Kindergarten Class (M-F full day). These programs are designed to give children a positive, first experience of learning within a faith filled loving context.
Preschool Class
The three-year-old program focuses on social interaction through group related activities. Each month we will focus on a theme and incorporate our activities, art and circle time around that theme. The journey into literature begins through storytelling, puppets, and imaginary play. Children will be introduced to the concepts of letters, numbers, shapes and colors. They will work on fine motor skills, such as cutting and coloring and will use different art techniques. Music, creative movement, structured learning centers, and free play also play an important role in every school day.
Pre-Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten Class
For the four-five-year-old, an emphasis will be placed on Kindergarten readiness. A core reading readiness curriculum will be taught that focuses on an alphabet letter and relational concepts each week. Science, math, social studies, language, and circle time activities are explored daily through hands-on activities. Music, art, discovery STEM lab, and creative movement are planned throughout the weekly curriculum to develop a balanced learning environment. Students will eat lunch at school and continue learning with assigned enrichment activities in the afternoon. These include; Alphabet Adventures, Marvelous Math, Engineering, Building and Inventions, and Little Einstein Science Lab.
Faith
Woven throughout the curriculum is an introduction to the wonder of God’s creation. Children are taught that each person is a special gift from God. Our Preschool and Pre-K class series is “Stories of God’s Love.” This program teaches children Scripture stories that tell of God’s love and connects these stories to their daily life. Prayers and songs are an integral part of every class. Our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium is up and running and we are ready for the students to explore this wonderful program. You can find information on this portion of our religion curriculum at www.cgsusa.org. Mrs. Randazzo, our early childhood director, is certified to teach COGS Level One curriculum which is geared directly for the three to six year old child.