Kew-Forest to start junior kindergarten

Many 90-year-olds think it is time to take it slow down and relax, but not The Kew-Forest School.
After celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Kew-Forest will expand its offerings in the fall to include a half-day junior kindergarten program for talented 4-year-olds.
“Over the years we’ve gotten a number of inquiries from families with 4-year-olds who are developmentally ready for a Kindergarten experience, but not quite ready for a full day of school,” said Ann LaForge, Assistant Head of Kew-Forest. “We felt that this year, in honor of our school’s 90th birthday, it was time to answer this need in our neighborhood.”
The junior kindergarten program will introduce its students to a developmentally-appropriate curriculum integrating math, language arts, social studies, Spanish, character-building, technology, art, music and social skills. The junior kindergarten will have experienced faculty, a low student-teacher ratio and the personal attention that the children need to develop into successful Kindergarteners.
“It’s a logical step for our early childhood development program,” said Dr. Peter Lewis, Head of School at Kew-Forest. “We see it as a wonderful way to prepare four-year-olds for our Kindergarten, and to provide them with the same Kew-Forest experience and the same tradition of excellence that our K-12 students enjoy.”
The deadline for applications is January 1, 2009, and Kew-Forest encourages all talented four-year-olds to apply.
For more information, parents can log on to the Kew-Forest website: www.kewforest.org.