St. Paul's 4 Year Old Kinder Program

I would encourage you to talk to the school district's admissions staff in a month or two (as they're super busy right now) because they can answer most of your questions. If you're in ECFE (which you should be!!) you can ask about this in class and I'm sure you'll find parents who have used it. :)

I did not use the 4 year old program (let's call it 4YOP) because I am very satisfied with our preschool experience and I also prefer a part-time program. The 4YOP is basically a publicly funded pre-school program that is half day, five days a week. In the Montessori schools it is integral to the rest of their program but in other schools it's just preschool. There is no cost for the program itself. It can be difficult to get in, and preference for admission is given to those with low incomes or who meet other criteria (minority status or who need extra preparation to be ready for kindergarten, I think - this is where the admissions staff would be helpful.)

There's not really an advantage over private pre-school except that it doesn't cost you anything more than you already pay in taxes. It's also helpful for people who have an older child already in that school - the younger one can go to school at the same place and and same time and get child care for the other half of the day at the same location.

We did the Pre-K program at JJ Hill last year for my daughter and absolutely loved it. She went to Discovery Club after school (the in house, spps after/before school program). It was also fabulous. She actually just finished the summer program as well. As far as I know, anyone is eligible but they prioritize on time enrollments. I think each pre-K program is a little different from school to school, so I'd figure out which school your child will attend and explore the pre-K there. Also, Discovery Club was much cheaper than the private daycare we had her in before - another plus!

Hello my son went to a four year old program at World Cultures he loved it. He seem to progress a lot in his name writing, letter recognition, and pre-reading skills. I run a daycare (www.dreamfamilychildcare.com) so I had two other girls go to Farnsworth Aero space and they seem to also enjoy. The kids would always say we learn the same things at daycare and school. I offer the same curriculum as SPPS. All and all it was a great wat to get my son expose to school and riding a schoolbus. I felt he needed time away from me since I run a daycare out of the home. I have heard Nokomis elementary offer a good 4 yearold program also. Apply early I think applications our due in March not all schools have income restrictions, there is only a limited amount of spots and they fill quick because program is free. I orginally did not get in but got a call back a week before school started that there was a spot available. Good Luck!

I did not personally use a 4 year old K program (our neighborhood school doesn't have the program and we were very happy with our part time preschool experiences). I know kids that did 4 year old K that were clearly ahead of the curve and later qualified for Capitol Hill (the St. Paul gifted talented magnet). I'm not certain it would necessarily be more challenging or enriching than your current situation, but the 1/2 day part is tuition free (if you need discovery club, there would be a charge for that). I've heard good things about JJ Hill's program and it's flexibility. This fall might be a great time to schedule some tours and ask some questions.

That being said, I don't think St. Paul public schools does a consistently good job with it's gifted/talented population. Capitol Hill has it's issues and half of our kindergarten school qualified for the program. We had to pull our oldest from SPPS after 2 years after he spent 1st grade literally not learning anything and crying everyday before school. Despite testing far into the 99th percentile on the Capitol Hill qualifying test, we didn't get in. Hindsight, that's probably for the best. Your mileage may vary depending on the school or teacher, but if you have a child that is well ahead academically and needs additional challenge it's good to have that on your mind from the start. I really had no idea.

Good luck!