Kindergarten for 3 year olds: Preschool Programs for Ages 3

Cedar Rapids CSDCedar Rapids CSD

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54Nationally board-certified teachers

Cedar Rapids Community School District 3- and 4-year-old preschool provides a nurturing environment for young students. Preschool lays the foundation for school success and lifetime problem-solving skills for your child.

Each class is led by a teacher licensed through the State of Iowa in Early Childhood Education, and each classroom is assisted by one or more paraprofessionals. Our program meets Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (IQPPS). Our teachers use Creative Curriculum which is based on research in child development theory as the foundation of the teaching approach, the learning environment, and the roles of the teaching staff and family. Our philosophy is that children learn best by doing, which requires active thinking and experimenting to see how things work. Our goal is to help children become independent, self-confident learners.

Learn more about preschool transportation eligibility here.

2023-2024 Half-day preschool

Half-day preschool is offered Monday through Thursday with two sessions each day. The morning session is 8:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and the afternoon session is 12:50 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. 

Half-day preschool is offered at the following locations for the 4-year-old preschool program, which is free through a Statewide grant:

• CRA Taylor Elementary School
• Grant Wood Elementary School
• Hiawatha Elementary School
• Kenwood Leadership Academy
• Maple Grove Elementary School
• Viola Gibson Elementary School
• West Willow Elementary School
• Wright Elementary School

Shared Visions Half-day preschool

Three- and 4-year-olds that live near the neighborhood resident areas of CRA Taylor and/or Grant Wood are eligible for half-day preschool at these locations based on income qualification criteria being met and Proof of Residency verification.

2023-2024 Full-day preschool

CRCSD full-day preschool programming is located at Truman Early Childhood Center.
Preschool is offered Monday – Thursday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
There is no preschool programming on Friday’s.

CRCSD bussing services is offered to and from a student’s homeschool, available Monday – Thursday. Champions wrap-around services are offered onsite for before school, after school, and/or Friday care. Families can not do both services

Champions at Truman ECC Program Information and Pricing

View a map of all CRCSD 22-23 Early Learning locations here

Enroll in preschool

Preschool applications for the 2023-24 school year will be accepted starting February 1, 2023. Your student must be 3 or 4 by September 15, 2023, to enroll in preschool for the 2023-24 school year. The first day of preschool will be Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Register for preschool

Contact us

If you would like to speak with someone about preschool, please call 319-558-2375 or email earlylearning@crschools. us.

Resources

Give your child the best start

The best start for every Victorian child

The Victorian Government has committed $9 billion to expand kindergarten programs across the state.

This means that:

• From 2023, Free Kinder will be available for all Victorian three and four year old children at participating services in both standalone (sessional) services and long day care (childcare) settings – a saving of up to $2,500 per child, every year.
• Over the next decade, Four-Year-Old Kindergarten will transition to ‘Pre-Prep’ – increasing to a universal 30-hour a week program of play-based learning for every four-year-old child in Victoria.
• 50 Victorian government-owned and affordable childcare centres will be established. These centres will be built in areas that have unmet demand and will make it easier for families to access childcare. The first of the centres will be available in 2025.

Having Free Kinder supports every Victorian child to get the best start in life no matter where they live. It is strongly encouraged that all children attend kinder programs for two years before school as a crucial part of their educational journey.

These major new initiatives are in addition to the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten across the state. The Victorian Government is investing $5 billion over the decade to deliver 15 hours per week of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten for every child.

Free Kinder in 2023

Free Three- and Four-Year-Old Kinder will be available across Victoria at participating services in 2023 at both long day care and sessional (standalone) services.

Free Kinder means more Victorian children can have the best start in life, no matter where they live:

• For three-year-olds, this means from 5 and up to 15 hours per week of a kindergarten program
• For four-year-olds, this means 15 hours per week (600 hours a year)

Free Kinder means a saving of up to $2,500 per child, each year, and also means more than 28,000 Victorians can return to work, including almost 26,600 of which are women.

Participating kindergarten programs will receive funding directly from the Victorian Government, so families are not out of pocket (and don’t have to claim the savings back). If your child attends a kindergarten program within a long day care setting, a $2,000 Free Kinder subsidy will offset the kindergarten program component of your out-of-pocket fees.

Long day care centres will be required to pass on the full amount to parents as a direct reduction in their out-of-pocket fees. This will provide a free program for some families and a significantly reduced cost for other families, depending on service fees, number of days attended, and the amount of Commonwealth subsidy received.

Make Everyday A New Adventure

When to start Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten

Use the Starting Age Calculator to enter your child’s birth date to find out what year they can start Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten.

Date of birth

Families with children born between January and April can choose which year to start Three-Year-Old kindergarten. These children can start in the same year they turn three, or in the year they turn four years of age.

Due to staffing requirements, some services may ask that children start attending kindergarten only after their third birthday. This may mean that some children may not start attending their kindergarten program until part-way into Term 1.

If your child will turn six in late December (between the last day of the school year and 31 December), they can attend Four-Year-Old Kindergarten in that year and attend school the following year.

When your child starts at kindergarten directly relates to the age they will start at primary school. Speak to your local services about the best time for your child to start at Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

What you need to know

There are a few things you need to know when making this decision:

• Kindergarten services are required to have a different ratio of staff to children, this will vary depending on the children’s ages
• Some services might not have the number of staff needed to accommodate two-year-olds. For these services, your child must have turned three before they can attend
• If your child turns three by 30 April and you would like them to start kindergarten that year, you can still enrol your child. Services will hold your child’s place until they are old enough to attend.

If you have any questions, contact your local kindergarten service. Services can contact [email protected] for more information.

Look for the Kinder Tick when choosing a kindergarten service

Choosing a quality kindergarten service will ensure your child gets the most from their time at kindergarten.

The Kinder Tick helps Victorian families find a funded kindergarten program for their children.

Look for the Kinder Tick logo at your local childcare or kinder service, on the service or centre’s building or grounds, on their website or in their information materials.

You may wish to visit a service or centre to meet staff to help you decide which service will best suit your child.

The benefits of attending Three-Year-Old Kindergarten

• Research shows that play-based learning is a powerful way to support children’s development. These benefits last into the school years and beyond.

  Did you know that 90 per cent of a child’s brain develops by the time they turn five?

  The evidence also shows that two years are better than one when it comes to early learning.

  A quality kindergarten program will have more of an impact for children who start at age three rather than four. The benefits are even greater for children who are in vulnerable circumstances.

  ¹E4 Kids, University of Melbourne
  ²Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project, Department for Education, United Kingdom
  ³A Smart Investment for a Smarter Australia, PricewaterhouseCoopers & The Front Project

• Children are given the opportunity to use their imagination and practise important skills, such as problem solving, through play-based learning.

  Children start to learn literacy, numeracy and language skills at kindergarten. They also learn how to get along with others, share, listen, and focus their attention.

  Teachers and educators help children become curious, creative, and confident about learning. Often, they will introduce a play-experience, idea or topic and let children lead their own learning through exploration and experimentation.

  .

  Kindergarten programs are designed to meet the needs of their local families. All kindergarten programs work with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. This makes sure the programs are right for children’s ages.

Finding a kindergarten that suits your family

To find services offering free and government approved kindergarten programs with play-based learning, visit the Find a KinderExternal Link website.

Find a Kinder program map

Talk to your local kindergarten or childcare service about their enrolment process. A central enrolment system may operate in your area. To find out more, contact your local councilExternal Link.

Three-Year-Old Kinder programs are for between five and 15 hours each week from 2023.

As there are different hours available for Three-Year-Old programs, you may have more choice in session times.

Some services have shorter session times, which might suit families with older children at school. Longer hours may work better for other families.

Kindergarten programs are also available in different settings, including standalone kindergartens and long day care centres.

What is the difference between a kindergarten program in a long day care (childcare) centre and a standalone (sessional) kindergarten?

Children can attend a Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program at either a long day care (childcare) centre or at a standalone (sessional) kindergarten. These services are also likely to offer a Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program.

A long day care centre can offer a full day of education and care, including a kindergarten program. The teacher-led kindergarten program is integrated with additional hours of education and care. At a standalone service, a kindergarten program will only operate on certain days and at specific times. These days and hours are set by the kindergarten service.

No matter where your child goes to kindergarten, teachers and trained educators will lead the program.

How much kindergarten costs in 2022

• In 2022, three-year-old children across Victoria can access at least five hours of a funded kindergarten program each week. These program hours will increase to 15 hours a week for 40-weeks of the year by 2029.

• The amount families pay will vary depending on the type of early childhood education service their child attends. For kindergarten programs in long day care centres, families usually pay a per-day fee. Eligible families can receive a rebate on this per day fee via the Commonwealth Government’s Child Care Subsidy.External Link

  Sessional kindergartens will ask families to pay a per-term, semester or yearly fee. Fees vary and are set by providers.

• Government funding significantly reduces kindergarten fees for families. For some families, it means that the their children can attend kindergarten programs for no or very low cost.

  The Victorian Government covers around two-thirds of the cost of an average funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program. This funding is provided directly to the kindergarten services. This allows children to access up to 15 hours a week of funded kindergarten delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher.

  This is the same way that costs work for Four-Year-Old Kindergarten.

• Three-year-old children who are eligible for the Early Start Kindergarten program are entitled to 15 hours of free kindergarten each week now, no matter how many hours are offered in the standard program.

  Early Start Kindergarten is available for children who are:

  • is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • known to Child Protection or have been referred by Child Protection to Child FIRST
  • from a refugee or asylum seeker background.

  Three-year-old and four-year-old children eligible for the Kindergarten Fee Subsidy can also access a free program. This will be a 15-hour program for four-year-olds and a program of between 5 and 15 hours for three-year-olds, depending on which the service is in and the number of hours offered,

  Speak to your kindergarten service about your family’s eligibility when you enrol your child.

Kinder Kits

All children starting free Three-Year-Old Kindergarten, including Early Start Kindergarten and Access to Early Learning, in 2023 and 2024 will be eligible to receive a Kinder KitExternal Link , helping them develop their love of learning at home as well as kinder.

The Kinder Kit contents have been carefully curated and provide educational and fun items to support three-year-old children to develop their skills and creativity as they learn through play.

Reviewed 16 January 2023

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Nursery (from 18 months to 3 years)

If you are not yet ready to leave your 1-year-old baby in our nursery for a full day, then we offer you a short stay group “Me myself!”: Monday to Friday from 8:00 until 12:30 (care for the environment, delicious breakfast, free work in a specially prepared environment, organized, jointly prepared snack, walk)

You will have free time, and your kids will have a chance to become more independent and independent.

The joy of meeting, new discoveries and great opportunities! nine0004

The issue of a child’s adaptation to kindergarten requires special attention. What will be the first days and weeks of the children’s stay in the garden will determine the mood of the pupils for the subsequent period. We believe that adaptation is peculiar not only to the child, but also to his family. Based on this, we distinguish the following adaptation stages:

1. Meeting of parents with the teacher and the head of the center (without the participation of the child)

At this stage, we will show the parents the class, talk about how the space and working environment are organized, and answer the questions that have arisen. Let’s discuss the tasks that can be solved by means of Montessori pedagogy. We will discuss the conditions for accepting a child in a kindergarten. Parents will then have time to decide whether their child should attend kindergarten. nine0004

After that, the parents write a statement. In addition to the interview, we ask parents to complete an entry form. This will allow teachers, to a greater extent, to represent the characteristics of the child.

2. Getting to know the child, walking (from 2 to 5 days)

At first, we recommend that parents come with their child to the garden during the children’s walk (11.30-12.30) to take a closer look at the children’s team, get to know the children and the teacher, play on the playground.

3. Home visit

The teacher and administrator of the kindergarten come to visit the child and his parents for half an hour.

The administrator solves organizational issues with the parents, conclude an agreement, while the teacher has the opportunity to get to know the child. The conditions of a comfortable home environment, the presence of a number of parents, contribute to the emergence of trust on the part of the pupil. One of the tasks of the teacher, at this stage, is to analyze the home environment, inclinations and interests of the child. In accordance with this, organize the space in the classroom and prepare the first meeting in the kindergarten. nine0004

4. Introduction to class

A child comes to the garden at a time when the rest of the children are out for a walk. During the meeting, the teacher introduces the future pupil to the class space. Explains where and what is located: “here we have a locker room, and here is a toilet room, and so on…” The teacher can show several presentations from the practical life zone, offer to draw. Parents are not present next to the child.

In the event that he needs to be with his mother, he can always come up and talk to her (it is assumed that the mother is in the corridor, next to the classroom or in the office, talking with the administrator or garden psychologist). nine0004

5. Individual adaptation schedule

The teacher outlines an individual adaptation route for the child and coordinates the plan with the parents. As a rule, in the first few days there is a gradual increase in the time children spend in the garden.

Of course, the period of addiction is individual. Therefore, the timing of full adaptation may vary.

Standard route:

8.35-11.00 breakfast, free work (2-3 days)

8.30-11.30 breakfast, free work, second breakfast (2-3 days)
8.00-12.30 breakfast, free work, walk (2-3 days)
8.00-13.30 breakfast, free work, walk, lunch (2-3 days)
8.00-16.00 breakfast, free work, walk, lunch, sleep (2 -3 days)
8.00-16.30 breakfast, free work, walk, lunch, sleep, afternoon tea (2-3 days)

With successful adaptation, the child stays in the garden for a full day for two weeks.

The normalization of the emotional state of the child will testify to the success of adaptation. A child who has adapted to kindergarten accepts the need to attend it. nine0004

Private kindergarten in Moscow in SEAD Personality, accepting children from 3 years old

Your child’s first confident step into the future

Provide your child with comfort and care from an early age, start developing his creative abilities and instilling a love for science – sign up in private kindergarten “Personality”. We accept children from 3 years old, classes will be conducted by an experienced teacher: employees annually confirm their qualifications and improve their professional level. We work from 1993 years – during this time we have thought through the educational system from and to and we take into account all the subtleties of this difficult process. Moreover, attention is paid to each child – to identify individual character traits and reveal his abilities.

Our private kindergarten works according to the innovative program “From Birth to School”

This is an innovative method based on the provisions of L. S. Vygotsky, it is aimed at the comprehensive development of the child, taking into account his psychological characteristics, hobbies and interests. The system is based on the integration of the first and second half of the day: kids gain knowledge and develop creatively. nine0008

In our private kindergarten we:

Carefully monitor the child’s condition – emotional and physical

We note his strengths and guide him in every possible way to develop them

We analyze the behavior of the baby in the team, we do everything to make him feel comfortable

We conduct individual lessons with each pupil of our private kindergarten

This approach allows you to find the right path for the development of the child and correctly guide the baby. nine0008

If in doubt, start with a tour of a private kindergarten

And so that you can see for yourself and understand if a private kindergarten is right for your child, come to trial classes. For 3 days, look at the educational process from the inside – we will tell you in detail and show how everything is arranged with us. It is important that during this period the baby will be in a group with other children – so as not to feel separated from the team. Also, the student will be tested and “interviewed” with an experienced psychologist. nine0008

Ask exciting questions by phone, we will advise you in detail, we will orient you on the price of education in a private kindergarten.

To contact us

There is no need to wait – unleash the potential of the child from an early age

And competent and experienced specialists of a private kindergarten will help you

Creativity is welcome

Whether your child wants to be an artist, a singer or an astronaut, our private kindergarten teachers will do their best to develop their abilities.