Prekindergarten
The wonder years of early childhood education begin here at Banner with our Pre-Kindergarten program. Early childhood is a small window in a child’s life in which we have a singular opportunity to build important and foundational skills for life. We have a program for our youngest learners that aligns with our Kindergarten and 1st Grade curricula and prepares students to progress with success through each grade level while instilling a true love of learning.
Guided by the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards for Pre-K – 12, our whole child, whole brain approach fosters self-confidence and specific academic competencies while supporting the blossoming character that four-year-olds are most able to develop in a structured, yet nurturing setting. Our classrooms, both indoors and outdoors, foster curiosity and wonder. The opportunities we provide for exploration stimulate a child’s natural inquisitiveness and allow students to forge connections between the world around as they develop foundational science concepts. Foundational to our science program is InvestiGator’s Club, which is aligned with the Maryland standards. Our math program focuses on number knowledge, sequencing, conservation of volume, shapes and attributes, and emergent addition and subtraction.
A values-centered CIRCLES social studies program, beginning in Pre-Kindergarten and extending through 8th grade, support students to develop and recognize important character traits – i.e., responsibility, compassion, and respect – and to use these as a lens to learn about communities of the world. In our print-rich classrooms, Pre-K students develop a love of literature through dialogic instruction, an understanding of narrative and informational texts, and essential phonemic awareness and phonics pre-reading skills. Using their books as models, students develop their emergent writing skills to communicate ideas and experiences. Throughout each day and each lesson, a love of learning and a sense of self-competency is instilled in each child.
Learning with movement, sound and music, visual and verbal exploration, and social/interpersonal experiences expands the points of entry available to each child and allows our students to flourish as they follow their own individual path utilizing their unique talents as a springboard to new understandings. With small class sizes of 15 students or less, our Pre-Kindergarten teachers know each student as a person and as a learner. Banner prides itself on strong parent communication and the Banner Learning Triangle creates a community of students, parents, and teachers working together to provide the richest opportunities for growing and learning.
Our Pre-K students enjoy Music, Art, and Physical Education with our specialists. Our STEAM initiative means that students as young as four years of age will be emersed in the connections between math, art, and the sciences. Additionally, we incorporate technology in a developmentally appropriate manner that enables students to successfully use a device for educational purposes. Although we emphasize hands-on activities, when technology supports a particular learning goal, we maintain a balance by observing the limit of 30 minutes per week that experts agree is best for young learners.
A Banner School Pre-Kindergartener graduates with a strong sense of self, a love of learning, important social skills, and a strong academic readiness for kindergarten.
Contact our Admissions Office to learn more about our prekindergarten.
Note: The prekindergarten follows Banner’s calendar and is closed for all holidays, teacher work days, vacations, and snow days.