Canterbury Kids
The Canterbury Kids program provides an intimate and caring atmosphere for 2-year-olds as they take their first steps toward independence and growth. Socialization is an important objective for Canterbury Kids. Through organized and constructive play activities, the children develop an interest in their peers, learn to play cooperatively and share, and continue to explore the natural world around them. Reading quality literature aloud to children individually or in small groups fosters an interest in and awareness of language and the written word. Organized play and art and music activities encourage the development of fine and large motor skills and reinforce concepts taught.
Children beginning Canterbury Kids must be 2 years old by August 1 of the year they enter the program. Children are in class two days a week from 8:15 to 11 a.m. or 12:30 to 3:05 p.m. Each class consists of nine students and is taught by a teacher with a teaching assistant. There are four Canterbury Kids classes, two meeting in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Cavaliers
The Cavaliers program capitalizes on 3-year-olds’ natural curiosity about the world and builds on the foundation established in the Canterbury Kids program. Children feel secure in routines established in the classroom, are responsible for the care of their belongings and assume some simple classroom chores. Skills and concepts are introduced through dramatic play, stories, favorite songs and finger plays. Careful attention is given to integrating literacy activities into all aspects of curriculum. Conversations and experimentation during group time, story time and choice time introduce math and science concepts daily.
Children entering the Cavalier program must be 3 years old by August 1 of the year they enter the program. Classes meet three days a week from 8:15 to 11 a.m. or 12:30 to 3:05 p.m., with two classes offered in the morning and two in the afternoon. Each class of 12 children is taught by a teacher and a teaching assistant.
Junior Kindergarten
The goal of Junior Kindergarten is to prepare the 4-year-old child for a successful Kindergarten year. In a hands-on, developmentally appropriate environment, children learn by questioning, doing and focusing on integrated thematic units. These units introduce math, science, literacy and social studies concepts and provide the basis for fine motor skills, large motor skills, and music and art activities. As the year progresses, Junior Kindergarten students become more goal-oriented and develop a positive attitude toward work and a sense of satisfaction in accomplishment.
Students entering Junior Kindergarten must be 4 years old by August 1 of the year of their admission. These classes meet five days a week from 8:15 to 11 a.m. or 12:30 to 3:10 p.m., with two classes offered in the morning and two classes in the afternoon. Each Junior Kindergarten class enrolls 14 children and is taught by a teacher with the help of a teaching assistant.
Kindergarten Prep
Kindergarten Prep is a unique opportunity available to
children who have completed Junior Kindergarten and the Kindergarten screening process,
but are not developmentally ready for a full day of school. This creates a
cohesive group maximizing the children’s abilities to grow, develop and learn
through rich and challenging curriculum in their year before full-day
Kindergarten.
The curriculum is organized around a series of thematic units into which language, reading, math, science, social studies and arts instruction are integrated. Vocabulary expansion is encouraged as children both dictate stories to the teacher or assistant and begin to develop their own written stories using a combination of pictures and printed words. Letters and their corresponding phonetic sounds are introduced, and the formation of upper- and lowercase letters is practiced. Kindergarten Prep uses the “Math Their Way” curriculum to incorporate math experiences throughout the entire day. Questioning, observing, predicting, experimenting and drawing conclusions are the keys to scientific discovery in Kindergarten Prep as children explore scientific phenomena in their environment.
Students entering Kindergarten Prep usually turn 5 during
the spring, summer or fall of the year they enter the program. The class of 14
children meets daily from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and is taught by a teacher with
the help of a teaching assistant. Kindergarten Prep students participate in the
French, music, library and physical education classes taught by Lower School
specialists. JK / Prep After Care activities are offered until 3 p.m.
At that time, students have the option of attending the ABC (Above and Beyond
Care) program until 5:30 at an additional cost.
Lunch Bunch
The Lunch Bunch Program provides an opportunity for children to enjoy games, outdoor play, stories, crafts and a sack lunch from home with friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday for an additional fee. Canterbury Kids, Cavaliers and Junior Kindergarten students have the option of participating in Lunch Bunch. At 11 a.m., children attending morning classes will be taken by teaching assistants to the Lower School foyer and, as a group, walk over to the Canterbury Club House. Parents of these students should pick their children up in the Lower School foyer at 1. Participating students from afternoon classes should be brought to the Lower School foyer by their parents or caregiver at 11. Teaching assistants will escort these children to their classrooms at 12:30.
JK / Prep After Care
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Junior Kindergarten students and all Kindergarten Prep students have the option of attending JK / Prep After Care for an additional fee. This program is held from 1:15 to 3 p.m. in the Kindergarten Prep classroom. Morning Junior Kindergarten students will be dismissed to After Care at the conclusion of Lunch Bunch. Kindergarten Prep students will attend immediately after their regular class time. At 3:05, the students can be picked up at Circle Drive, unless they are attending Above and Beyond Care (ABC). The ABC teacher will meet all students at the Circle Drive foyer and walk them to the Canterbury Club House.
Above and Beyond Care (ABC)
Canterbury School’s Early Childhood extended-day program, Above and Beyond Care (ABC), offers Early Childhood students attending afternoon classes the opportunity to remain at school each day until 5:30 p.m. for an additional fee. Children may participate full time or part time on the days they are enrolled in school. Registration is required, with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. ABC is a less-structured addition to our regular program. It is a multi-age group offering a variety of developmentally appropriate activities.
Early Bird
Early Bird is another extended-care option offered every every morning from 7 to 9 a.m. The Early Bird teacher will meet the children in the EDC (in the Lower School) between 7 and 8 a.m., and in the NOG between 8 and 8:15. Those children in morning classes will join their classes. Those children in Studio Time will head to the Clubhouse.
Studio Time
Studio Time is an enrichment opportunity held in the morning for afternoon students and in the afternoon for morning students. The students go to the studio at the Canterbury Clubhouse for art exploration, woodworking and nature activities, to name only a few. A monthly calendar of upcoming activities is published; registration is required. Studio Time is offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Cavaliers, and on Tuesday and Thursday for Canterbury Kids.
