Ready for the classroom
Following two- and three-step directions, managing their own belongings, sitting for a group lesson, putting a hand up, speaking in front of others. The unglamorous skills nobody teaches and everybody expects.
Pre-K
The kindergarten year. We would rather send you a child who wants to know things than one who can recite them.
4 – 5 years 6 AM – 7 PM, Mon–Sat 5 meals daily
4 – 5 years
The children who do well in kindergarten aren't the ones who were drilled hardest.
They are the ones who can pay attention, ask for help, wait their turn, manage a wobble without falling apart, and stay curious when something is hard. Those are the things that decide how the first term goes — and they are teachable.
So our Pre-K room builds all of that, and the letters and numbers come with it. We work from the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, the same expectations the public schools are working toward, so that your child arrives in August already knowing what their teacher will ask of them.
Inside the room
What your child does here
Letters, sounds and their own name
Letter sounds, blending, writing their name, recognising their name in print, and a great deal of read-aloud. Real early literacy, not flashcards.
Number sense
Counting with meaning, one-to-one correspondence, comparing quantities, simple addition with objects, patterns and shapes. Understanding the number, not just chanting it.
Our STEM lab
A dedicated room with computer stations, building and logic games, and posters of the careers those skills lead to. Pre-K children use it for guided projects — supervised, hands-on first, and never as a screen to be parked in front of.
Managing themselves
Naming feelings, solving a disagreement with words, recovering from frustration, trying again after getting it wrong. The strongest single predictor of how kindergarten goes.
Hands ready to write
Cutting, threading, drawing, tearing, moulding. Handwriting is a hand-strength problem long before it is a letter-formation problem.
Daily rhythm
A day in the Pre-K room
Doors open — books and table activities.
Breakfast.
Morning meeting: calendar, weather, the plan for the day, and a job for each child.
Small-group literacy instruction and learning centres.
Snack, then outdoor play.
Maths and science, hands-on.
Lunch, family style — serving, pouring and conversation.
Rest time; quiet activities for non-nappers.
Snack, then writing, art or music.
Second outdoor play.
Dinner.
Free choice and wind-down until pickup.
Packing list
What to bring
- A full change of clothes
- A small blanket for rest time
- Weather-appropriate outdoor layer
- Sunscreen with a signed authorization form
- Comfortable shoes they can run in
- A refillable water bottle
Meals and snacks are included — you never pack food. Label everything with your child's name; we'll send home anything that needs washing.
Pre-K questions
Things parents ask us
Will my child be ready for kindergarten?
That is the entire purpose of this year. We work from the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and we will tell you honestly where your child is and what is worth practising at home — not just that everything is fine.
How is this different from Alief ISD's Pre-K?
Alief offers a public Pre-K programme for eligible four-year-olds on a school-day schedule. Many families use us instead, or alongside it for before and after care, because a school day ends long before a workday does.
Do you teach Spanish?
Our staff includes Spanish speakers and children hear both languages naturally through the day. Ask about the current classroom — it varies by teacher and by year.
What if my child isn't ready to move up to kindergarten?
We would tell you well before the deadline, with specifics and a plan, so you have time to decide. That conversation should never be a surprise in July.
Visit us
Come see it for yourself.
Tours run every day we're open. Walk the classrooms, meet the teachers, ask us anything — no appointment required, though booking ahead means we'll have someone ready for you.