366 Gault Street, Santa Cruz, California 95062, United States
Kindergarten Readiness
Kindergarten is a crucial step in education, providing the mental, physical, and social foundation that will support and enrich a student’s entire school experience. Choosing a school environment that meets the needs of your child from the very beginning will have a lifelong impact. In addition to finding a good fit, assessing your child’s kindergarten readiness will play a big role in their success.
The public school Kindergarten cut off is 5 years old by September 1st, however, we can accept students as young as 4 years 9 months by the first day of school at SCCS ***
Please review this simple list of signs that your child is probably ready to start full-day kindergarten at Santa Cruz Children’s School.
Though it varies widely, children are generally ready for kindergarten when they:
- Are excited about learning new things
- Are familiar with letters, numbers, shapes, and colors (mastery is not required or expected)
- Can recognize their name in print and are able to spell their own name
- Can hold and use scissors correctly
- Will respond when an adult says good morning or asks a question
- Can sit through a short story without interrupting
- Can follow simple multi-step instructions
- Can use the bathroom independently
- Can out on their shoes and zip up a coat and a lunch box independently, or almost! and,
- Can play, share, and take turns with peers
- Expresses frustration and tries to solve conflict with words instead of physical force
*** Starting Kindergarten before the public school cutoff date is not a decision to take lightly and the long term consequences should definitely be considered! Students who start private school Kindergarten who turn 5 after September 1st should consider the following:
- They will likely be the youngest in their grade, sometimes by over a year, throughout their school career which can be challenging many areas, especially socially. They also may be at a disadvantage when trying out for school sports or and may leave for college at a younger, less responsible age. Many of our youngest Kindergarten student families have opted to stay at SCCS for an additional year to allow their student to mature further before going to middle school.
- If they at any point transition to public school and do not meet the age requirements, that school may require a younger student to enroll in a grade based on their age, not the grade(s) they have completed at SCCS.
Copyright © 2019 Santa Cruz Children's School - All Rights Reserved.
Santa Cruz Children’s School does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national or ethnic origin in its admission policies and educational programs.