This model is used in both our Pre-School. Pre-School + and K-Kids programs.
There are many advantages to the
multi-age classroom approach:
1. Students stay with the same teachers for two years providing uninterrupted learning and strong relationships.
2. Classroom communities have a cooperative, family-like atmosphere where each student is respected and supported.
3. Younger children learn from older children and quickly absorb the academic and social expectations.
4. Older children have the opportunity to practice leadership and to teach the younger children, thereby reinforcing what they have learned and allowing them to make meaningful connections to their current work.
5. Multi-grade classrooms provide more opportunities for small-group or individualized work relative to ability and interest.
In order to differentiate the instruction for our multiple ages, the expectations of each age level are different.
Our three year olds are exposed to a new social environment. They are learning how to follow directions, work cooperatively, and recognize that there is a whole new world outside of their home. As they begin to learn, they look to our older students for guidance and friendship.
Our four year olds become leaders and mentors for the younger students. At the same time, they begin to solidify their base of knowledge, absorbing and processing new information on a daily basis.
Our five year olds are groomed as strong leaders and mentors, and as future Kindergarten students. Our goal with our oldest students is to be certain that they are academically and socially ready to enter Kindergarten and/or K-Kids.
Our six year olds have often been with us for three or four years. They have literally “grown up at Red Door!” They are strong, proud, and confident individuals. They are savvy and helpful, and use those skills to work in tandem with their teachers, even having a say in what topics will be taught.
Know that our directors and teachers are educated about - and fully comfortable with - the multi-age classroom approach.