Preschool Curriculum

The SAGA School offers Preschool (children 3-5 years old) programs. At the Seattle location Kindergarteners spend part of their day doing combined activities with the Preschoolers.

At both locations our classes meet for 4 hours, from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Our Seattle Preschool offerings include three different schedules:

• 2 days per week (Tuesday and Thursday)
• 3 days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
• 5 days per week (Monday thru Friday)

Alternative schedule requests are based on availability and must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Preschool entry occurs in September. It is our admittance policy that all students are 3 years old on or before August 31^st. However, at the SAGA School Board and teachers' discretion, we will make every effort to accommodate students who fall near the cutoff date.

We provide a multi-age classroom experience with a balance of ages and developmental levels that aims to serve the individual needs of all our students.

The multi-age classroom encourages a strong community where older children serve as models for their younger classmates.

Younger children tend to develop independence more quickly because of the assistance of an older "buddy" in the group. While being exposed to models of positive social, emotional, physical and intellectual behavior, our younger students also benefit from the stimulation of a wider range of interests, personalities and abilities. Preschoolers often stretch themselves to imitate their older peers.

Older children, on the other hand, benefit by taking on the role of mentors and practicing leadership skills while boosting their self-esteem and confidence. Cognitive skills are equally improved through the opportunity to reinforce, consolidate, and expand upon knowledge shared with younger children.

To complement the mixed-age learning environment in the Seattle classroom, the children are divided into three groups based on age: Kindergarteners, 4-5 year olds and 3-4 year olds.

The groups are separated approximately two hours per day for pre-academic and academic skill building, social skill building and peer group cooperative projects. All the children come together for snacks and lunch, outdoor play, music and other enrichment activities, and large group projects.

The SAGA School's classroom model strives to provide each of our students the opportunity to learn at his or her own unique pace.