A pre-kindergarten program designed for children who turn five by Dec. 1 and who have already completed a preschool experience.
**Please note: must be 5 by Dec. 1st of the school year enrolled**
KINDERGARTEN
Our kindergarten teachers focus on building community, nurturing creativity and helping each child to better appreciate the wonders of God’s creation.
**Please note: must be 5 by Sept. 1st of the school year enrolled**
Mornings
All students enrolled in Young Fives attend class Monday thru Friday, from 8:40-11:50 AM. Classes, which are offered in English and Spanish, follow the K-8 calendar from August - June.
Afternoons
Young Fives students have the option to stay at school in the afternoon. Pickup time is 3:25 PM. Students from both English and Spanish classes combine for the afternoon in a class taught in English. Parents may choose 1-5 afternoons for their child's schedule, but the day(s) chosen must be consistent each week.
KINDERGARTEN READINESS TESTING
Readiness Testing is done in May, by parents or preschool teacher request, for students with summer birthdays who plan to attend ZCS for the upcoming school year. Additionally, any students who did not attend preschool at ZCS will be assessed. Staff work in conjunction with preschool teachers to assess readiness for kindergarten, offering recommendations to parents.
KINDERGARTEN
Full-time Kindergarten
Students attend kindergarten from 8:40 AM - 3:25 PM, Monday thru Friday, all year long.
Transitional Kindergarten
All transitional kindergarten students attend school Monday thru Friday from 8:40 AM - 11:50 AM all year. Parents who choose transitional kindergarten set a part-time school schedule for their child, increasing to full days during the year.
Changes to a child's afternoon schedule are set as follows. Additional afternoons may only be added at these three times during the school year.
- All transitional students will begin to attend class on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons starting the last week of October.
- Beginning second semester (the third week of January), all transitional students will attend class on Wednesday afternoons, giving them three full days of school.
- All transitional students will attend class on Monday afternoons after spring break in April, bringing students up to four full days at school. Some parents may choose to add Friday afternoons, but this is not required.
PROGRAMS
This program is a play-based preschool program led by experienced and educated teachers, who nurture students' social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual growth.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
God fundamentally changed Zeeland Christian School 32 years ago with the beginning of inclusive education. Education for all children of differing abilities wasn't a new idea, but including children of all abilities in the same classroom was, especially in Christian schools. ZCS is the oldest inclusion model school in the U.S., and the second oldest in North America, making ZCS a global leader in inclusive education.
MANDARIN IMMERION
Mandarin Immersion contains all the elements of our traditional program with one additional layer - classes are taught entirely in Mandarin Chinese! (Note: We do not currently offer a Mandarin Immersion Threeschool or Young Fives option.)
SPANISH IMMERSION
Spanish Immersion contains all the elements of our traditional program with one additional layer - classes are taught entirely in Spanish!
What's Next?
For more information about Young Fives/Kindergarten at ZCS, please contact our Enrollment Coordinator, Nakisha DeJong, ndejong@zcs.org.
For Extended Care, please contact Heather Mulder, hmulder@zcs.org.
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