It’s time for kindergarten!
Traditional schools start in kindergarten.
Your child started “real school” years ago.
The Three-Year Cycle
Kindergarten is the critical capstone year of Children’s House
• The Children’s House program is designed for a three- year cycle • Children spend three full years in the classroom, growing from young newcomers to mature classroom leaders • Leaving before the culminating 3 rd year is like stopping a movie before it ends! Or riding only 2/3 of the way up the Empire State Building, and turning around!
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The First Year of Children’s House
Building a strong foundation
• Children start in Children’s House between age 2.5 and 3
• They come into the classroom amazed! A new world of lessons, learning, and community • They start with Practical Life: real-world exercises tied to daily life, from preparing food to arranging flowers • Lesson by lesson, they become more comfortable and capable in their new environment
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The Second Year of Children’s House
An expanding curriculum and world
Sensorial Materials
Language Materials
Math Materials
train the senses- the window to all learning! Children compare, contrast, match, sort, and describe colors, textures, sounds, and so much more
form the building blocks of early literacy, from spoken language to writing words
ground a child’s mathematical mind in concrete sensory experiences, leading to all four operations to the thousands place
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The Third Year of Children’s House
The Kindergarten Year
• The third year of Children’s House is the “cashing in” year, when all the work of the first two years starts coming together in an explosion of social, emotional, and academic growth. • Children graduate from Children’s House with a strong academic foundation and an attitude that learning is fun, exciting, and boundless
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The Third Year of Children’s House
The Leadership Year
• Third year children serve as leaders and mentors in the classroom, acting as role models for their younger peers • They develop confidence in their abilities and a sense of their value and worth to the community
• They learn compassion and empathy for those around them
• The leadership year is a key means of developing a growth mindset: watching younger children learn shows a child that skills are gained through effort
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The Third Year of Children’s House
• Children are ready to put together all of the isolated skills from the first two years and explode into more advanced math and literacy • They begin to work with more advanced materials, and are introduced to more conceptual work • The third year of Children’s House overlaps with the elementary curriculum, welcoming students into very high level work
Academic Explosion
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The Third Year of Children’s House
Guidepost vs. Traditional School
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What comes after Kindergarten?
Montessori Elementary!
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Guidepost Elementary: Because it’s different.
The way I learned.
The way my children will learn.
I raised my hand and asked permission to do... Anything
They learn in a safe environment that allows them to move as freely as they do at home
I read books in order to earn stickers, free pizza, or other prizes
Reading is a joyful, community-based experience that builds a life-long love of literature
I learned the exact same thing, at the same time, and same pace, as everyone else around me
Lessons are tailored to interest, strengths, challenges, and pace, with the result of a curriculum based on customized rigor
Let’s see what education can look like.
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Let’s visit an elementary classroom
Let’s visit a Guidepost elementary classroom
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Guidepost Elementary
• A challenging, intentional curriculum that on average introduces students to topics 1-4 years before traditional schools
• Mixed age classrooms support peer-peer mentorship
• Customized rigor provides the right level of challenge for every child • A joyful approach to learning supports the elementary child’s natural desire to explore new knowledge and develop new skills
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Questions?
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