Pre-Kindergarten

Children at the Center

Blake’s pre-kindergarten program is grounded in the belief that respect for the child is paramount to a meaningful education. Teachers hold our youngest learners at the center of the educational experience. To be eligible for pre-kindergarten, children must be at least 4 years old by Sept. 1.

Pre-K, along with kindergarten and first grade, will be part of Blake's Early Learning Center when it opens in fall 2023.

The Power of Play

Hands-on or imaginative experiences, experimentation and play are the most powerful forms of learning for young children and are at the heart of Pre-K teaching and learning.

Pre-kindergarten classrooms are considered “the third teachers” at Blake. In these spaces, children are encouraged to make decisions about where to spend their time and what to explore. Classrooms are designed intentionally with books, activities and materials that promote autonomous learning through play. Children may work individually or in pairs and small groups.

Small class sizes mean teachers can carefully observe and interact with each student to learn their unique interests and needs. Teachers provide the scaffolding to help students reach the next level of learning while supporting early literacy, mathematical, scientific and critical thinking skills.

Extended Day

Complimentary morning care is available from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. on a drop-in basis.

An afternoon extended day program is offered from 3:30 to 6 p.m. in a warm, secure environment where children enjoy friendships across age groups. The day includes snack and a variety of free play and structured activities. Families may enroll students in one or more days per week.

Spanish Instruction

Pre-K students are part of Blake’s language proficiency program. Instruction is led by language education degreed faculty who are native and near-native speakers and who have lived, studied and worked in Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish instruction occurs for 20 minutes, twice a week. The curriculum is aligned with that in Blake’s Kindergarten through grade 5 where Spanish is offered daily for 30 minutes.

Blake hosts Amity Interns from a Spanish-speaking country who support teachers and students. In cooperation with the Spanish teacher, the Amity Intern offers small group activities, differentiation and personalized instruction.