Future academic, emotional and social success is a number-one priority for parents as their toddlers mature into preschoolers. For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with a group of students led by teachers. Early childhood education provides an opportunity to learn how to share, follow directions and gain the foundational success and learning expectations to be kindergarteners and future-ready.
Early childhood opportunities continue to be a strong pull to St. Paul’s Lutheran School with the offering of a variety of early childhood opportunities, and this fall they are adding another level of early childhood education. Another draw to St. Paul’s is that a parent can enroll their child in St. Paul’s preschool as young as 3 years old and advance them in the same building through sixth grade, helping ensure a strong transition with familiar staff in a safe learning environment.
Through the years parents have inquired about a provision being made for their preschoolers that turned 5 but just don’t seem ready for kindergarten. As a result of the request, this fall St. Paul’s will offer a Foundational Kindergarten program which is designed to ensure that children are equipped with all the skills and knowledge they need for success in school. Implementing Iowa’s kindergarten core curriculum standards and curriculum and statewide assessments, Foundational Kindergarten is more deliberately paced to focus intensely on foundational readiness skills needed for future success.
Principal Tamela Johnson stated, “Foundational Kindergarten can serve as the first year of a two-year kindergarten experience or it can lead the child to first grade the following year, all depending on progress and readiness.” With caring teachers, engaging activities and a supportive Christian environment, Foundational Kindergarten can help children develop the social, emotional and academic skills needed for a strong foundation in school readiness.
The community opportunities for preschool have expanded over the past few years. Along with a couple other community preschool partners, St. Paul’s is unique as it partners with Waverly Public Schools as a community partner through the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program. As a partner, St. Paul’s teachers benefit from high-quality professional development and parents benefit with a tuition discount. Utilizing supports from Central Rivers Area Education Agency, the teachers have been collaborating around Specially Designed Instruction ensuring that all learners have equal access to instruction.
Providing high-quality educational services, St. Paul’s is also unique as there is a natural transition from preschool to kindergarten as the classrooms are right across the hall from one another. The kindergarten teachers get to know the preschool students and their families personally as they meet in the hallways and on the playground. Preschool teacher Rachel Bienemann stated, “It is with great fulfillment as I watch my 3-year-olds as they progress their way to sixth grade, and a true reward is keeping connections with our families.”
St. Paul’s is also unique in their collaboration with the early childhood teachers of our kindergarten, first- and second-grade students. The teachers’ early literacy collaboration around the LETRS program offered by the Iowa Department of Education has been essential in building solid stepping stones in early literacy instruction, leading our students to become proficient, fluent readers. Teacher leader Tricia Freeman shared, “Our teachers met this summer to ensure that through the utilization of American Sign Language providing a visual model, utilizing Vowel Valleys to examine mouth movement in making sounds, and providing opportunities for written expression and language we can avoid gaps in learning.”
The last thing that makes St. Paul’s unique is that teachers are licensed by the Iowa Department of Education. This includes their preschool teacher as well as our preschoolers benefiting from early instruction in music from the elementary music teacher and opportunities for exercise and developing coordination with licensed instruction during their structured physical education class.
At St. Paul’s the staff strive to protect a child’s play time while ensuring the children are ready for kindergarten with a focus on the Iowa Core aligned Iowa Learning Standards. St. Paul’s teachers understand the particular ways that young children develop and learn, and they organize space, time, and activities to be in sync with children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities.
Many parents rave about St. Paul’s affordable on-site before- and after-school care starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m., wrapping around the school day. The children are provided a snack and are involved in activities, games and support to complete school work in a safe, supervised environment.
St. Paul’s Lutheran School offers a variety of classroom settings ranging from half to whole days meeting from two to three to five days a week, meeting the various needs of families with children ages 3–5. With school starting in just over a week, St. Paul’s wants the community to know that there are some spots for new children, give the school a call at 319-352-1484 or email school@stpaulswaverly.org
High school students are now getting college credits, middle school students are seeking high school credits and kindergarten has become even more academic. Which makes young ones engaging in structured learning environments earlier and earlier even more important.
St. Paul’s Lutheran School is accredited by the Iowa Department of Education and serves children from preschool through sixth grade from all denominations. It is a place where faith and learning go hand in hand. To learn more about St. Paul’s Lutheran School, visit
