Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood education is essential for the growth and development of all children.
At St. Luke, our Early Childhood program is an integrated approach to learning, anchored by a deep understanding of child development and social emotional learning. Our teachers understand the importance of recognizing the ages and stages of development and respond by preparing a learning environment that is engaging, tactile, and fun. They incorporate opportunities for gross and fine motor development into classroom activities. At the same time, our teachers create opportunities that ignite a child’s curiosity and cultivate an early love for learning.
The Early Childhood program at St. Luke is designed to provide a nurturing environment that encourages curiosity, inspires exploration, and builds a strong foundation in language and mathematical concepts.
Learn More About Our Early Childhood Programs
Preschool
Preschool prepares children for the demands of a challenging kindergarten curriculum while focusing on the unique developmental and academic needs of each child. Academic instruction is differentiated for each child by providing opportunities for emotional, social, physical, and intellectual growth using the Learning Without Tears curriculum. Some preschool children may be at the earliest stages of phonological awareness, letter recognition, and number sense while others are writing letters, exploring word formation, and solving basic math problems. In preschool, each child learns academic concepts with a developmentally appropriate emphasis on process, not product.
Play is a key component in teaching young minds the sounds and symbols of our language in preparation for reading. Math lessons are designed to build a child’s full understanding of number sense. Manipulatives are a critical component in teaching math concepts, and a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading and math is equally important.
Students engage in hands-on learning activities, foster social skills, develop fine and gross motor skills in the classroom and out on the playground. Daily gym time and outdoor play provide students with ample opportunity to practice these skills.
Kindergarten
Reading is a key focus of kindergarten and students learn a wide range of skills that help develop both their reading and oral language. Our Superkids curriculum is a comprehensive English Language Arts curriculum that recognizes the importance of phonics. This proven-effective program follows a unique systematic and explicit instructional path through engaging and increasingly complex text. The Superkids curriculum teaches students about sentences, punctuation, vocabulary, handwriting and provides guided reading in small groups.
Kindergarteners are taught important basic math skills throughout the year. Teachers use manipulatives and technology to communicate these core concepts. Children are taught one to one correspondence, number recognition, patterns, counting by 1’s, 5’s and 10’s, addition, subtraction, geometric shapes, measurement, grouping, graphing and days of the week.
Play and social development continues to be a key component of the classroom and students are physically active throughout the day.
Extended Day Services
Extended Day Service is available at an additional cost for our full day students. EDS is a multi-grade after-care program that includes outdoor play, arts and crafts, games, and snack time.
EDS is open for enrollment at any point during the school year.