YOUNG FIVES: 4 Years to 5 Years
About
This is our oldest and most mature group of children here at Growing Years! These children are looking for the challenge they need to carry them into the next level of their formal education, whatever that might be. The goals and outcomes we strive for with this age group are in alignment with Michigan’s grade level equivalencies for kindergarten, plus character education, and building character education alongside Christian principles.
Because we strive to bring out the very best from the children who attend our Young Fives program, many of these children then go on to qualify for gifted and talented programs offered in the city and township of Saginaw.
Developmental Milestones & Assessments
As part of our assessment plan, our teachers keep a portfolio of each child’s work throughout the year to share with parents during parent/teacher conferences, held twice a year. This is a special time to talk about your child’s growth and achievements as well as any concerns you might have. In addition, parents will receive a developmental milestone report approximately every 3 months to let parents know what we are experiencing with their child at Growing Years. These reports become the vehicle we use to share our understanding of early childhood development as outlined by child development professionals.
Finally, we begin teaching literacy appreciation, print awareness, and phonics instruction in an attempt to build a lasting foundation for reading success!
As all of this information is reviewed throughout the year, it is important to understand that individual children may exhibit all or only a few of the behaviors for a given age group and still fall within the normal range of development. Obviously, children progress at different rates throughout all aspects of their development.
More Information
Although four to five year olds still need a lot of flexibility in their day, they also enjoy and need some structure and routine as well. Having a routine of events throughout the day gives our young five children a sense of security. They can begin to anticipate the order of events while becoming familiar with how those routines are carried out, such as group time, eating time, center time, and going outdoors, etc….