TK Program

Eligibility:  Children who turn 4 by November 15 of the current school year

Schedule: 9-11:45 daily with option to add the Lunch Program 9-1 and/or the Afternoon Program 9-2:30-4:00

• 5 days: Monday-Friday
• 4 days: Monday- Thursday 
• 4 days: Tuesday- Friday

SAMS takes great pride in providing a Montessori program that is intentionally designed for children to thrive and learn. The SAMS TK Program is specifically geared toward the developmental needs and strengths of the four year old child. 

Unique to the Montessori philosophy, TK children are in a mixed age classroom, 3-6 year olds,  that provides children opportunities to observe older role models to stretch their potential and to be mentors to younger children. This interaction boosts their self esteem and confidence as they move through the program, developing social skills and mastering each new Montessori material before moving on to the next challenge.

The SAMS facilities allow the children to learn in a safe, challenging and age appropriate environment. On the playground, children develop and master gross and fine motor skills while exploring the play structure, swings, monkey bars and riding tricycles. Children develop and refine social skills in the sandbox and around the playground through supported peer interaction.

The Montessori curriculum provides Social Emotional Learning and hands-on learning with concrete beautiful materials. The SAMS teachers are not only highly qualified with over 33 Early Childhood Education units, they also have many years of early childhood teaching experience. 

TK at SAMS Maria Montessori founded the Montessori Curriculum in 1907. SAMS was founded in 1971. With a strong emphasis on Social Graces (Social Emotional Learning) and individualized learning,. SAMS provides a strong foundation for student success as they transition to kindergarten and beyond.	TK at Public School Districts TK program is a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. The classroom is placed in an elementary setting.
Teacher Qualifications: SAMS lead teachers have Bachelor Degrees and have Montessori Credentials, equivalent to 33 ECE units. The SAMS teachers also have many years of experience working in the Early Childhood profession.	Teacher Qualifications: Teaching credential or permit and 24 ECE units
Teacher to child ratio: 1 to 10 or less, with dedicated lead, garden, and assistant teachers	Teacher to child ratio: 1 to 12
Schedule: 4 or 5 days a week 9-11:45 with options to stay for the Lunch Program until 1 or for the Afternoon Program until 2:30 pm or later. The Afternoon Program consists of cooking, arts, movement, music and garden time.	Schedule: 5 days a week 8:40-2:05
Examples of skills learned in Math: Counts aloud to 30 Identifies numerals/one to one correspondence 0-10 Writes numerals to 10 Knowledge of basic colors and shapes	Examples of skills learned in Math: Count aloud to 20 Identify a small number of objects without counting  Counting the number of objects in the collection Knowledge of basic colors and shapes
Examples of skills learned in Language and Literacy: Has an interest in letter names and sounds Knows all the letters in their first name Writes first name with first letter uppercase and the rest in lowercase Developing or solidifying pencil grip Is able to rhyme words Identifies all letters of the alphabet by name Identifies all letter of the alphabet by sound	Examples of skills learned in Language and Literacy: Answers questions about characters and events in stories Creates artwork Matching letters Recognize that letters have sounds Developing a pencil grip Writes letter or letter like shapes to represent words or ideas Uses words to describe the relationship between objects