Why Choose a Private Kindergarten or First Grade?

This school year has been a challenging one as schools across the state work to offer COVID-safe education. While the plan for public schools this Fall are not yet clear, it is also hard to tell where Massachusetts will be in terms of COVID vaccination efforts and what the impact of the many new  COVID variants will be. This continued uncertainty is only one of the reasons why many families are considering a private school option for their child.

The Tobin School in Natick will again be offering our private Kindergarten classroom and adding a First Grade for the Fall of 2021. Here are several other reasons why considering a private Kindergarten or First Grade option might be right for your family.

Kindergarten is the de-facto start to most children’s academic career and First Grade is a hugely important year for developing literacy and cognitive skills. And while public school is open to all, there are some important reasons why it is worth considering a private Kindergarten or First Grade program:

• Small Class Size = Individualized Instruction: With many local public school class sizes averaging 20-25, a small class with a maximum of 10 children offers much greater individualized instruction. In a private program, your child’s teacher also has more time to truly get to know your child’s strengths and individual goals.
• Strong Parent-Teacher Communication: During these important first years, we hear from parents that they value the additional communication opportunities and access to the teachers at a private school, including seeing the educator daily at pick-up, weekly newsletters and photos, and access to a password-protected, online parent portal.
• A Well-Rounded Curriculum: Our private Kindergarten and First grade classes offer strong early academics (literacy, mathematics, social studies & science) with an introduction to some additional subjects like foreign languages, animal science, art, and yoga.
• Experiential Learning: Private school Kindergarten/First Grade offers students more hands-on, interdisciplinary learning, both inside and outside the classroom
• Time and Attention for Social-Emotional Learning: Research is proving that a person’s social emotional skills (self-regulation, empathy, flexibility, executive function, collaboration, etc.) serve as true indicators of their future success. Our private Kindergarten and First Grade makes time for learning and practicing all of these valuable life skills. Semi-annual kindness campaigns also keep our teachers and students thinking about our place in the larger world with Community Service.
• Classroom Learning & Out of Classroom Learning: In these unprecedented times the public school is forced to balance a combination of in person and remote learning that may not be able to address a child’s individual needs. We are offering a five day in-classroom Kindergarten/First grade program. And, in the event of another emergency closure, our ‘out of classroom learning’ is a broad combination of remote and virtual learning experiences supported by the teacher in collaboration with families. No matter whether in person or, if needed, moving to a virtual model, we are fully committed to providing each student with a full school year of curriculum.

If you are interested in having your child join us, please contact Robin Gossels or call 508-655-5006 to learn more about these options.