About Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool: Learning Standards by Age

Expectations for 3-Year-Old Classes

Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool offers two class levels for 3-year-old children.

Mini 3s

The Mini 3s is designed for children that were born after Sept. 1. Our Mini 3s focus on self-identity, social development and motorskills. Over the course of the year our Mini 3s are expected to accomplish the following milestones:

• Separates from parents without difficulty
• Can make activity choices without teacher help
• Seeks out other children in play
• Follows two-step directions
• Displays enthusiasm about doing things for themselves
• Can express with words rather than actions
• Shows interest in letters and words
• Is curious about print in the environment
• Shows appreciation for books
• Represents ideas in stories through pictures, dictation and play
• Uses scribbles and draws unconventional shapes to write
• Learns to interact with peers, to give and take
• Engages in make-believe play and imitates adult roles
• Climbs up and down playground equipment
• Demonstrates fine motor development such as beading, opening lids on jars, Velcro, zippers, buttons, drawing tool control and use of scissors
• Approaches new tasks and solves problems through observation, hands-on trial and error, and repetition.
• Is beginning to sort objects based on simple categories
• Is beginning to count objects

3-Year-Old Class

The 3-Year-Old Class is designed for children that were born on or before Sept. 1. Like the Mini 3s/Co-Op, this class focuses on self-identity, social development and motor skills. In addition, during the course of the year the following developmental milestones will be met:

• Gains knowledge by listening
• Follows two or three-step instructions
• Is beginning to read print in the environment (names, letters, signs, labels, logos)
• Plays at reading by looking at pictures and composing the story
• Shows appreciation for books and enjoys stories
• Is curious about words and letter organization (left to right, beginning letter and ending letter)
• Demonstrates ability to ask appropriate questions in a group activity
• Plays in group and begins to organize activity showing increased complex dramatic play
• Uses objects to represent other objects in play (broom is a motorcycle)
• Helps others with tasks, helps another in need
• Moves legs, hands and feet in rhythm
• Uses pencil and drawing tools with confidence
• Writing advances from scribbling to recognizable letters
• Demonstrates ability to write their own name
• Demonstrates ability to recognize their own name in print
• Uses scissors with control
• Recognizes basic geometric shapes
• Recognizes colors, size differences
• Sorts objects by two recognizable attributes (color, shape, function)
• Counts to 10 or higher with emerging one-to-one correspondence
• Recalls words in a song or poem
• Is comfortable exploring the immediate environment and some of the environment beyond the classroom

Expectations for 4- and 5-Year-Old Pre-Kindergarten Class

The 4- and 5-year-old class is designed to meet the developmental needs of children as they prepare for kindergarten. During the course of the school year, the following developmental milestones are to be met:

• Gains knowledge by listening
• Demonstrates ability to ask questions
• Follows directions that involve muliple steps
• Recognizes name in print
• Read print in the environment such as classmates names, letters, numbers, Exit signs and logos
• Demonstrates beginning phoenic knowledge of letter sounds and how letters form words
• Understands the purpose of writing and wants to write to share ideas
• Seeks out other children in play
• Can play roles confidently in dramatic play often casting self as a leader
• Can express themselves with words rather than actions
• Plays group games with prearranged rules and follows rules
• Shows respect for others
• Runs with control
• Hops forward on one foot
• Uses pencils and art tools with control and confidence, can draw a circle
• Pours liquid into glass without spilling
• Writes name clearly in linear manner
• Counts to 100 or higher
• Can sort objects by appearance and function
• Can arrange objects in series according to a rule
• Can locate objects behind or beside something
• Can build a block enclosure
• Speaks confidently in the classroom
• Speaks in expanded sentences
• Uses past verb tenses correctly
• Uses language to create and sustain a plot or story, is able to re-tell a story
• Uses measurement words (longer, shorter, higher, lower, heavier, lighter) to decribes objects and events.
• Uses meaurement tools (ruler, measuring cup, scales, magnifer) to explore objects and gain understanding

To learn more about the State of Arizona Early Childhood Learning Standards, please click here.