Children are ready to learn. They cultivate 85 percent of their intellect, personality and skills by age five. Young children need real interactions in order to learn. The first five years are also when children build the social and emotional skills they need to succeed in school. On the first day of kindergarten, teachers expect children to be able to follow directions, start and finish projects, and know when they need to ask for help. That’s where our VPI and Spanish Immersion Preschool Programs can help!
Both the Virginia Preschool Initiative Program (VPI) and the Spanish Immersion Pre-K Program offer four-year olds a quality preschool experience. VPI Preschool classes are located in all four of our elementary schools; Frederick Douglass Elementary, Garland Quarles Elementary, John Kerr Elementary, and Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary.
In Winchester Public Schools’ Preschool Programs, we focus on alignment that creates success. We create opportunities and close achievement gaps by aligning instructional practices with professional development and coaching, two necessary pillars in supporting high quality implementation. Our curricula are informed by research showing that high-quality, developmentally appropriate early learning produces the best results for all children. Our curriculum, The Creative Curriculum, is designed to engage children and empower them to develop language, math, critical thinking, and socio-emotional skills that prepare them for long-term academic and life success.