Pre-K Program in Lehi Area

Do you have a Montessori preschool in the area? My daughter was in the same situation, and we just continued at the Montessori preschool we were at for another year. They are good at tailoring the education to each specific child's needs. See if you can find one in the phone book or ask around.

Normal, happy chidren do not need to "get ready for kindergarten". Kindergarten IS the get "ready program."

Nevertheless, many of us taught our children colors and numbers and reading. It's pretty simple. If she does as she's told, that's a plus.

You could skip pre-school and let her hang with the family.

My oldest went to Avondale Academy last year and LOVED it! They are in Saratoga Springs, its about 8 miles one way from my house. You can look it up online http://avondaleacademy.com/ My daughter had Mrs. Eby and she loved going to school every other day. Good Luck!!

If your looking for good Pre-K program locally, check out your nearest Highschool. Many Highschools offer really good preschools for a fairly good price. The purpose of the Highschool programs are to train students how to be teachers. Another option is to look for a university program which are more pricy and for you further away. UVU has a program currently which is where my daughter is currently, but they will be moving their program to a local school. I do agree with the person who said to find a program that has NAEYC accreditation. The reason for this is to find a program that is Developmentally appropriate. If your picky about good education, find a preschool that focuses on encouraging your child in all areas of education (love of learning) and not just schooling (papers to teach abc's and numbers). In my opinion, the best schools do project work and go on field trips according to the topic. For instance, my daughter studied pets for her first project; she did surveys of others to find out their favorite pets. They visited a duck pond and could have visited a pet store, but her school didnt have enough money to visit a pet store. They basically exhausted the topic. The reason this way of learning is good is that all children no matter their level of knowledge on numbers and letters, their abilities continue to increase. One child in my daughters class knows how to read and is an older child also, she loves the preschool and so does her mother, because of the program. I hope this helps. Good Luck on finding a good program.

Do you want a program where she is with other kids? Have you checked to see if Challenger will take her into their K program next fall even though she is young? If you want a program you can do with her at home I recommend using the k12's K independently.

Don't worry about academic readiness - it sounds like she's there. Look for a program that considers all aspects of child development - cognitive, social, large motor skills, small motor skills, emotional skills,(understanding/dealing with her own emotions, empathy for others), artistic and music appreciation and creativity, etc.

I used to teach kindergarten, and I know that kids who come in knowing how to get along, listen to the teacher, follow directions, and try new things do well, even if they don't have all the academic skills yet (although that doesn't hurt either). On the other hand, I had kids who knew a lot of academic skills but didn't have social or listening skills, and they had a harder time.

Look into preschools as part of the child development department in a college, or even a high school. I know that the University of Utah has a great programs in their Child & Family Development center (my kid went there) - maybe Utah Valley State College (or whatever it's named now) has one, or BYU if that' not too far. Also check the elementary school - some have a pre-K program available there too.

My son's b-day is september 30th, last year we took him to Vibe Performing Arts, they have preschool--kindergarten classes, and the middle hour is always something physical like dance or karate or music. They're right off the freeway on the pleasant grove exit. You can also google Vibe dance or little vibes for more info. It's a little pricey--$195/mo. but a wonderful experience and he learned a ton.

I can't say it helped much, however. He was tested to go into first grade, and while he handled the curriculum just fine, there was a lot of pressure on him and the day seemed pretty long with homework after he got home. He got into a charter school and I put him back in kindergarten, but he does first grade math and harder reading, without the long day. So, it's a better compromise.

Odyssey Charter school in American Fork also has a preschool at their location. You can google their website and they might have prices on it. Good luck!

My husband found the perfect pre-K class for my daughter. My daughter needed a pre-K class that would help improve her social skills. She excelled in reading and was already writing, so this part not a priority for me. So, when my husband found Lehi Elementary's Special Ed Pre-K program, it was the perfect fit. The class consists of children with and without special needs. It was important for all these children to be together because they all learned from each other. My daughter had a great time with her wonderful friends and her great teachers. It gave my child invaluable experience at such a young age. Another big plus is that the tuition is very low. Good luck!

We were in a similar situation and chose to homeschool. We now have a 5 year doing very well in 1st grade and loving the challenge. We do other things for the social aspect. It's working very well for us. I'm not sure what your options are since you miss the cut off date.

I agree with both of the moms who responded already. Because Kindergarten here in Utah focuses on learning letters, letter sounds, numbers, and the like, (you don't even work on reading here until the second half of the year), your daughter is probably already right on track for her literacy and numeracy skills. But like the other mom said, pre-K programs are really great for teaching your children social skills (like learning how to solve problems with other children, learning how to listen to teachers, follow rules, make friends, etc.). It can be nice for you and your other little ones to have some more one on one time together too while the older child is enjoying a fun preschool program.

To find a good preschool anywhere in the country you can go to the NAEYC website (national asssociation for the education of young children) http://www.naeyc.org/
Preschools that are accredited by NAEYC have higher standards and you can generally trust that they'll be better than the ones that are not accredited. The website also has lots of helpful advice on child development, daycare, parenting, etc.

Also, I don't know if you'd want to travel this far, but my daughter really loved the preschool program at BYU.