The Pre-K Small Group is a rich learning environment for building upon the older child’s more complex interests as they prepare for transition into Kindergarten. Along with more complex project work, field trips occur on a more consistent basis in order to enhance the curriculum and the children’s interests. These off-site trips provide this older group with a greater sense of autonomy and independence, which we feel is essential for their future. In addition these opportunities for more in-depth investigations will further support the development of collaboration and focused attention, which early childhood research tells us is a key to success in school.
Crescent Park provides an excellent foundation for entry into Palo Alto/Menlo Park and surrounding community kindergartens. Our preschool curriculum summary and developmental milestones provide an overview of the skills developed in the preschool years and has been adapted to complement and reflect the Palo Alto Unified Kindergarten curriculum as developmentally appropriate in the preschool setting.
Pre-K parent participation is important in implementing this approach and we hope that Pre-K parents will embrace these opportunities to be a part of their child’s early learning experiences.
