In the Early Childhood, the overarching themes are “My Family” and “My Physical World,” focusing on family, community and transportation around the city. As the children work their way through the Lower School, the studies expand geographically and historically.

The language arts learning process begins in Pre-K3, where the youngest students are exposed to a variety of written materials. Print-rich classrooms help the students develop a curiosity about letters, words and phrases. They begin to construct an understanding of how reading happens. Students learn to recognize lower and uppercase letters, write the alphabet and identify the variety of sounds.

The children participate in daily reading and writing workshops. Kindergarten children publish several forms of writing during the year, ranging from a short personal narrative to an instructional guide. Multiple strategies are used throughout the program to build confidence and comfort as children move from letters to literature, all with one goal in mind: to become avid readers and writers!

From their earliest days at the Academy, students in Pre-K3, Pre-K4 and Kindergarten develop familiarity and dexterity with numbers learning how to count beyond 100 and working with money and computation, length, capacity, volume, weight and geometry. They are exposed to the earliest forms of mathematical concepts in their daily work with numbers, shapes and patterns, first understanding math from the fingers on their hands to the objects in the room.

Beginning in Pre-K3, students become familiar with the computer and the keyboard, building an appreciation for technology as a learning tool and a rich medium for expression. Each classroom is equipped with the latest computer hardware and software.

Each class in Pre-K3, Pre-K4 and Kindergarten meets for a formal class period once a week with the librarian to explore books and resources. The library houses over 16,000 volumes, as well as computer facilities and wireless laptops.

In addition, the Pre-K3, Pre-K4 and Kindergarten curriculum includes “specials” visits with specialized teachers in science, sign language, art, music and physical education.