For children planning to attend Kindergarten the following fall, UADC offers a pre-Kindergarten program. Placement in the program is made by the director in consultation with the teachers and taking into consideration the child's birth date, developmental levels and space available. Children may move into this program from the preschool program at any time during the year thus ensuring that their individual needs are met.

The role of teacher as facilitator is emphasized in this program which allows children more time for cognitive activities during the school day. The Creative Curriculum program forms the basis of staff interaction with children.

Pre-Kindergarten children take shorter naps or may no longer take naps at all although a 1 and 1/2 hour nap time is scheduled each day (non-nappers have free choice time during this period). Less time is spent on routines such as eating, dressing, toileting and cleaning up as children master these skills and demonstrate more independence and iniative in them. The pre-Kindergarten room contains more possibilities for complex activities and group play. Process science or cooking projects focus children on basic principles of the natural world and allow discovery and experimentation.

Outdoors, pre-Kindergarteners go on longer walks and use more outdoor play equipment such as bikes and balls and play more organized games than their younger counterparts.

Pre-reading skills such as learning letter and number names and sounds are emphasized. Basic classroom skills, such as hand-raising, lining up and turn-taking are practiced. Children in the pre-Kindgergarten program act as big brothers and sisters to the preschool children by occasionally helping them with daily routines or play and by modeling school rules.

Morning and afternoon snacks are offered and a hot lunch is provided each day in the lunchroom. Menus for snacks and lunches are posted each week outside the classroom. Children who attend pre-Kindergarten half time leave just after lunch, while full time children continue the day with naps, snack and more outdoor play. Teachers provide parents with a synopsis of their child's day; how he ate, napped, played and got along with others, so care can be continued at home.

	The Wizards playing during "free choice" time.