Choosing a school for your soon-to-be kindergartner is a big decision. You want to make sure that your child will feel safe and secure in their new environment. At the same time, you want to know that they’re receiving a great education that will prepare them for first grade, second grade, and beyond.
At BASIS Charter Schools, we pride ourselves on providing an engaging, nurturing, and supportive learning environment for our kindergartners. Some of our Arizona campuses offer both half-day and full-day options for kindergarten, while our schools in Louisiana and Texas exclusively offer full-day kindergarten. Schedules vary from campus to campus, but no matter which BASIS Charter School you attend, there are some core similarities in our kindergarten programs.
To help current and future BASIS Charter School parents learn more about what an average day looks like inside our kindergarten classrooms, we sat down with three Early Education Teachers from BASIS Scottsdale Primary East—Haley Loeffler, Laura Ramirez, and Adette Sulit.
Classes and subjects
At BASIS Charter Schools, your kindergartner’s day will be split up into different subject blocks. Core subjects for both our half-day and full-day kindergartners include:
- Language and Literacy Foundation
- Math Foundation
- Civics, History, and Science Foundation
- Movement Foundation
Our kindergarten curriculum is designed to enhance young learners’ natural instincts to explore, question, and discover. In each course, our teachers bring the lessons to life through hands-on, dynamic activities that get students excited about learning. By the end of the year, our kindergartners master grade 1 skills—and they have fun doing so.
“Something we focus on heavily is reading,” Sulit says. “Our goal is to get all of our kindergartners reading by the end of the year. We do our best to fill any gaps and make sure our kids feel successful going into first grade.”
Loeffler adds, “By the time our students get to first grade, our hope is that things like reading and writing feel natural to them. We’re really trying to cement all of those foundational skills to make the transition into first grade as smooth as possible.”
Classroom environment
Beyond the excellence of the BASIS Charter School Curriculum itself, it’s important to us that students feel cared for and supported in our kindergarten classrooms. To ensure each student’s needs are met, we follow a co-teaching model with two teachers in each kindergarten classroom.
Our Lead Kindergarten Teachers, who are experts in early education, are assisted by Teaching Fellows.
“The Teaching Fellow acts as our partner in everything we do,” Loeffler says. “We work together as a team and create a flow for delivering lessons. It offers that next level of support for the kids and allows us to hone in on what each individual student needs to be successful.”
Sulit provides some examples of how having two teachers in the classroom can benefit kindergartners. “If we have a student who’s feeling overwhelmed, one of us can pull them aside and help them process their feelings. Or if a student is having a hard time with a certain concept, one of us can sit down with them and give them extra support while the other continues delivering the lesson to the rest of the class.”
Ramirez says the classroom environment at BASIS Charter Schools is all about helping kids reach their full potential in a way that allows them to have fun and feel supported. “Even though our curriculum is more accelerated than what you’d see at a traditional public school, our teaching is done in a very fun, playful way,” she says. “As teachers, we work just as hard as the students to get them where they need to be. We’re there to help them through any challenges they might have.”
Recess and breaks
BASIS Charter School kindergartners get two recesses per day. There are also frequent snack breaks and “brain breaks” between lessons. These breaks allow students to stay active and can improve their concentration during lessons. Playtime is also a great opportunity for kindergartners to practice new skills.
“Recess gives the kids a chance to take the social and emotional skills they’ve been learning and apply it to their everyday life,” Ramirez says. “There’s a lot of time for structured activities in the classroom, but recess is really where students get that imaginative, free play.”
“Problem-solving, handling big emotions, and cooperation are all skills that kindergartners naturally use on the playground,” Sulit says.
Afternoon enrichment activities
In our full-day kindergarten program, the afternoon is dedicated to enrichment. Following lunch and recess, kindergartners spend an hour doing project-based enrichment activities.
Loeffler explains that this enrichment course varies from year to year and from school to school. “As teachers at a charter school, we have the autonomy to choose projects based on what we feel would benefit the students the most,” she says. “Some years, we focus on science enrichment projects or use that time to do some extra math review. This year, coming out of COVID, we’ve put a big focus on socioemotional activities. We emphasize things like roleplay, group work, teamwork, and expressing different emotions.”
Kindergartner’s final class of the day rotates between different enrichment courses, such as:
- Mandarin
- Engineering and Technology Foundation
- Visual Arts Foundation
- Music Foundation
Classes like these provide additional learning opportunities and expand our kindergartner’s knowledge beyond what is normally found in a kindergarten curriculum.
Tour our schools to learn more about our kindergarten program!
A day of kindergarten at BASIS Charter Schools is a day in which each student learns something new and purposeful. They delve into distinct material in STEM subjects, experience new forms of expression through the arts, and have the chance to focus on social and emotional growth with other children their age—all with the direct support of expert teachers by their side.
Each school day adds up to a truly unique school year, and each student is set on a path where they learn to love learning.
Want to experience it for yourself? The best way to get a feel for what your kindergartner’s day will look like at BASIS Charter Schools is to visit! Find a school near you and schedule a tour today.
Are you a first-time kindergarten parent? We’re here to support you and your family through the kindergarten transition! Read our article “What to Expect as a Kindergarten Parent at BASIS Charter Schools.”
Note: Kindergarten schedules vary from school to school. Please reach out to your local BASIS Charter School for more information.
