Pre-Kindergarten

Children at the Center

Blake’s pre-kindergarten program is Reggio-inspired and 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.

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 7:45 to 8:15am on a drop-in basis.

An afternoon extended day program is offered from 3:15 to 6pm 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.

Specialist Instruction

Throughout the course of a week, Pre-K students have the opportunity to engage in all of Blake’s Lower School specialist offerings including:
Art
Music
Strings
Spanish (2x per week)
Physical education (2x per week)
Engineering & programming
Library time