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Chatham Hills – Westfield

Kindergarten

On My Way

For 5-Year-Olds

Explore this section

Our Kindergarten Curriculum
A Day at Kiddie Academy
FAQs

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Preparing Your Child for School and Life

Five-year-olds are eager to discover and learn new information. They love to plan and enjoy playing with their peers. The 5-year-old curriculum, On My Way at Kiddie Academy[ofACADEMY], provides learning and social activities to meet your child’s needs.

Explore Our Kindergarten Curriculum

Language & Literacy

STEM

Social Studies

Gross & Fine Motor Skills

Character Essentials®

Music & More

Learn On®

Explore Our Kindergarten Curriculum

Language & Literacy

Advancing Reading and Writing Skills

Children explore content-rich literature and expand their vocabulary tremendously throughout the year. As your child begins to decode words in print, we help them combine letters to make words, and eventually combine words to write sentences and stories.

Key Focus Areas

Practicing writing
Using our Literacy Essentials program to identify sounds phonetically
Composing stories
Using complete sentences of varying length
Participating in shared reading and writing projects
Associating long and short vowel sounds
Recognizing sight words

STEM

Supporting Your Child’s Curiosity with STEM

STEM is integrated into the curriculum using hands-on activities to spark your child’s natural curiosity. Children discover the fascinating world of science, technology, engineering, and math, turning everyday tasks into opportunities to learn.

Key Focus Areas

Learning to estimate and calculate
Sorting and identifying objects
Using technology to communicate and solve problems
Using magnifying glasses and microscopes
Comparing and interpreting data
Exploring life sciences

Social Studies

Getting To Know Your Community

We provide opportunities to explore the local community, our government, geography, American history, and different cultures.

Key Focus Areas

Learning about elections and voting
Exploring geography and cultures
Engaging in group decisions
Beginning to take on leadership roles

Gross & Fine Motor Skills

Developing Strength and Coordination

Our classrooms have an assortment of materials to assist your 5-year-old to continue to develop fine motor skills. Our playgrounds and fitness activities allow your child to strengthen large muscles and build coordination and dexterity.

Key Focus Areas

Refining hand-eye coordination for fine motor tasks
Fostering a foundation for a healthy lifestyle
Moving with balance and coordination
Promoting dexterity

Character Essentials®

Character Is at Our Core

Our educators guide your child through activities inspired by our Character Essentials curriculum that build upon positive character traits like compassion, respect, and generosity.

Key Focus Areas

Encouraging children to be helpful to others
Instilling a sense of community
Supporting cooperation in various settings
Exploring the meaning of fairness
Fostering the use of praise and appreciation

Music & More

Learning Through Song and Movement

Research shows music improves cognitive development, learning skills, communication, and memories. Our age-appropriate curriculum develops your child’s language skills through song using our proprietary Music and More program.

Key Focus Areas

Playing instruments
Understanding rhythm and tempo through dance
Participating in music through performance
Expressing emotions through movement
Introducing musical vocabulary

Learn On®

Learn On^®

Learning Beyond the Classroom

There is no end to learning, and there is potential in every moment, everywhere. We designed our Life Essentials curriculum with this in mind, giving you access to projects and activities that extend the learning from your child’s classroom to your home through our Academy Link^® app.

Use your current location

A Day In Our Kindergarten Child Care Program

Every moment is an opportunity to learn. Our academic kindergarten program sets the foundation to prepare your child for school and life.

Play is the best way to start the day

We explore and discover in learning centers

We learn in two languages: English and Spanish

I practiced math by making patterns with blocks

Time for music and dance

Today we learned how to take a survey and make a bar graph. We count how many people in the class have pets, then show the results in a graph.

I love learning with technology

Reading and writing time

Let’s play outside!

What a day!

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Kindergarten Child Care FAQs

Will my child be safe?

Our facilities and outdoor play areas have secure entries and exits that are carefully maintained and monitored. Only individuals authorized by you are allowed to pick up your child from the Academy. All employees have undergone thorough background checks prior to employment.

Do I need to pack a lunch?

No. We provide an assortment of healthy, age-appropriate foods and snacks for the children to eat each day.

What are teacher qualifications?

All Kiddie Academy teachers must meet or exceed the state requirements for child care providers and are required to receive ongoing professional training annually. We also require background checks through local, county, state and/or federal agencies prior to employment.

Will I be charged tuition during schools breaks if my child does not attend?

No. Families will not be charged tuition if their child does not attend during school breaks.

What will my child be doing?

At this age, your child is eager to learn new information and play with peers. Teachers will use small and large groups where your 5 year old can learn and interact with classmates. They’ll continue to develop skills in character education, language arts and literacy, mathematics, science and social studies.

What if my child has allergies?

Due to the high number of children with peanut allergies, we do not serve peanut products. If your child has a specific allergy, please list them on our dietary restriction letter so that we can make appropriate food substitutions.

Do you take the children outdoors?

Yes, weather permitting, we take children outside daily. Children should be dressed appropriately for playing on our playground or taking group walks.

Do you have parent-teacher conferences?

Yes. We schedule family/teacher conferences each year to discuss your child’s progress, but you can request a conference with the Director at any time.

How do you use technology in learning?

Kiddie Academy teachers use technology as learning tools and a means of communication. We feel it’s important to teach children how to use devices they will encounter in school, so they are given opportunities to use them for educational play and research. The use of televisions or computers for passive viewing is not part of Kiddie Academy’s curriculum.

How do you get my child ready for school?

By use of our kindergarten standards-based curriculum, Life Essentials®, children will be well prepared as they enter first grade. We have a commitment to the development of the whole child by concentrating on the development of social and emotional skills setting them up for success in school. Our curriculum encourages children to explore and discover, making learning a fun and rewarding experience that nurtures a lifelong love of learning.

What is your discipline policy?

We do not use physical or verbal punishment under any circumstances. We use positive guidance and re-direction to acknowledge children’s feelings and emotions and provide them with social scripts, problem-solving techniques, self-calming activities and choices and activities geared toward their interests.

What if my child gets sick?

We’ll call you or a designated adult from your Emergency Information Form so that your child can be picked up as soon as possible from the Academy. While waiting to be picked up, your child will rest quietly, away from other children.

Does you have cameras in the classroom?

Many, but not all, Kiddie Academy locations have classroom cameras that parents can access via mobile or desktop apps. For the most accurate information on classroom cameras, contact your Academy directly to learn about camera availability and policies.

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