Pre-K

The Broadalbin-Perth prekindergarten program is an important part of our elementary school system and our community. Students who participate in the prekindergarten program at B-P Elementary School will receive the necessary preparation to be successful in school. Our goal is to instill in our pre-K students a strong sense of Patriot Pride at this young and impressionable age. This pride emerges from developing a positive work ethic, persevering in learning activities, and showing respect toward themselves and one another. As we “strive for excellence,” these skills will help students become lifelong learners.

Program Availability

Broadalbin-Perth offers a full-day prekindergarten program to children who reside in the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District. Students who will be 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2024, are eligible to attend prekindergarten during the 2024-25 school year (future B-P Class of 2038).

The district provides up to five classrooms with a ratio of eighteen students to two adults (one teacher and one teaching assistant), with 90 full-day slots available. The school district provides transportation to and from school for all resident pre-K students.

Pre-K Registration Checklist

• Birth certificate 
• Child's current physical to be faxed by doctor's office to (855) 975-2702
• Child's immunization records
• Proof of residency (three documents)
• Completed online student registration

Important Dates for the Class of 2038

• Pre-K registration opens — Feb. 1
• Pre-K parent information night — April 24
• Deadline to submit completed pre-K registration packets — May 24
• Lottery for in-district students — June 1
• Lottery for out-of-district students — Sept. 1
• Pre-K screening — TBD
• Pre-K orientation — TBD
• First day for pre-K students — TBD

Our Philosophy

Children involved in the prekindergarten program develop strong social skills. In the classroom, the teacher and the teaching assistant create a sense of trust and warmth within their environment. The classroom team will nurture and support relationships so that students can be encouraged to become independent. The teacher and the teaching assistant allow the children the opportunity to explore and question their experiences in order to find out more about themselves. It is important that children develop the necessary strategies to enjoy the process of learning. We want children to be confident in their ability to master new skills, learn new ideas, and take pride in their accomplishments. Our team allows the children to learn and develop at their own individual pace.

In addition to students’ own independence, the ability to make and sustain friendships is a vital part of the program. Learning to work with other students and in groups is a necessary skill that they will come across from this point forward. Creative problem-solving with other students helps them improve their social skills, learn to collaborate, and improve creativity at this very young and impressionable age.

Pre-K Academics

An important component of the prekindergarten program is the academic learning that takes place. The most important aspect of learning is “hands-on learning” or “learning by doing.” Students need materials and activities that they can handle, explore and use. Hands-on exploratory play allows them to manipulate and experiment with objects and materials in their very own classroom. The teachers work towards purposeful learning. They start at this young age, helping students develop readiness skills to be successful as they continue through school.

Developing strong literacy skills is another key part of the program.  Students will be able to improve upon their vocabulary by listening to a variety of genres that are incorporated throughout the prekindergarten program. Children who are exposed to many different types of literature are able to form connections, activate prior knowledge, predict, and question. This allows them to effectively comprehend narrative and informational texts while applying what they are learning to their daily lives. Students will participate in our year-long PARP (Parents as Reading Partners) program in order to appreciate and understand the importance of reading on a daily basis.

What makes our academic learning so successful is the focus on project-based or community-based learning. Children learn best when they take an active role in the process. At B-P Elementary School, we make sure students are creating materials, growing vocabulary, and learning how to solve problems while working with one another. Students are guided by their teachers, yet they are also given the opportunity to make their own choices. The teachers and staff of the Broadalbin-Perth prekindergarten program believe that this blend of social, emotional, and academic skills creates a strong foundation that leads to a successful and bright future.

Specialized Services for Pre-K Students

Broadalbin-Perth Elementary School employs staff members who can provide special services to students enrolled in the prekindergarten program.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy in a prekindergarten setting helps children with a variety of skills that better prepare them for kindergarten. This is an enrichment service that can help children acquire certain skills, including building strength and endurance in their hand muscles to make holding a pencil with the correct grasp easier. These services also help children with body awareness as it relates to drawing age-appropriate pictures of people. Occupational therapy also helps children recognize when they need a break from circle time or other academic times because they are overstimulated, or recognize the need to get up and move because they are feeling sleepy.

Occupational therapy also works on developing pre-writing and pre-scissor skills, which are building blocks for later in the year when we will move to forming letters and numbers, as well as cutting on lines and cutting out simple shapes. It is important that children move and grow at their own pace. Occupational therapy services can help students keep moving forward with these skills so they don’t fall behind their peers as school becomes more challenging.

Physical Therapy

Motor skills, such as jumping, walking, running, skipping, controlling objects, and balancing should emerge at specific ages. Physical therapy is used to help children reach those developmental milestones and ensure they can function in the educational environment. Physical therapy can help children learn to transition through school hallways, navigate stairways, maintain good sitting posture during table-top activities, sit on the floor during carpet time, and participate in physical education classes with their peers.

Pre-K Parent Advocate

The prekindergarten parent advocate is not only the liaison between pre-K families and the school but also supports students’ social and emotional development and assists families with accessing community resources. The parent advocate also presents lessons on a monthly basis in each of the pre-K classrooms, focusing on topics such as kindness, manners, and bullying to help students acquire social/emotional knowledge that focuses on key concepts that will not only benefit them now but throughout the years.

English as a New Language

English as a New Language (ENL) is a program offered to students for whom their native language is something other than English. The ENL teacher provides focused English language instruction to help students succeed in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  A focus on these four modalities combined with content-area-specific vocabulary instruction helps to make sure that students are reaching their everyday learning targets within the classroom. The ENL teacher also serves as a liaison between ENL students and their families and school personnel regarding parent-teacher conferences, school-to-home communications (including translations), and school events and activities.