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Arizona Charter Academy Offers 4-Year-Olds the Chance to Get a Jump on Their Education Through Early Kindergarten Testing

The Surprise Charter School Allows Children Who Will Turn 5 by January 1, 2013 the Opportunity to Test for the Early Kindergarten Program

(SURPRISE, Arizona)—When Armando Avalos’ daughter Claire was 4 years old, the Surprise father knew in his heart that his daughter didn’t need another year in preschool.

Like many kids her age, Claire was bright, she got along well with her friends at school and did a good job staying on task and following the rules.

After looking into other options for his daughter, Armando decided to have Claire tested for the Early Kindergarten program that is available at Arizona Charter Academy in Surprise.

The school offers the testing for 4 year olds who will turn 5 by January 1. Testing for the 2012-2013 school year will start later this month.

Claire passed the test, and was enrolled in the 2010-2011 kindergarten class at Arizona Charter Academy.

From the first day of class, Armando said Claire did extremely well.

“It worked out great,” he said. “She earned straight A’s, was on the Principal’s List, and it really was an excellent experience overall.”

Nicole Harris, who teaches kindergarten at Arizona Charter Academy and also helps administer the testing, said that 22 of the 55 students who tested last year made it into the Early Kindergarten program.

She said the younger students do an excellent job of blending in with the older ones, and do not hold the class back in any way.

“Part of the test is making sure they can separate from their parents,” she said. “If they are unable to do so this is a big sign of them not being ready to enter kindergarten.”

Like Armando, Harris said some children who are 4 years old simply don’t need another year of preschool, and should be given the chance to get a jump on their education.

“Children who are ready and are at a kindergarten level should not wait a whole school year to start,” she said.

“If they are ready, why hold them back from their fullest academic achievement?”

Dear Parent,

It is my pleasure to present the many benefits that Arizona Charter Academy (ACA) can provide for your child. Speaking from personal experience, my nephew was enrolled in the academy when he was entering the 5^th grade. While attending public school, he had fallen behind and was in need of help or his educational future would become out of reach. For my nephew, public school seemed to be overwhelming and too impersonal to engage him and he did not like school. Upon enrollment at ACA, he was academically evaluated and a course of teaching was determined. His parents were invited to be a part of the process as partners in his growth and development. He resumed his learning at ACA in a way that he could understand, guided by one of the highly trained educators. In a short amount of time, his grades improved remarkably along with his self-esteem and he grew to enjoy school once again.

Over the next few years, because of how he excelled in school, he was allowed by his parents and approved by his teachers to participate in extracurricular activities. He played football, basketball and baseball all while maintaining his grades well above average. As his ACA career matured, he added music to his personal development. As a senior, he was exposed to several different life skills training programs to include resume writing and interviewing skills that prepared him for his future career plans. Before we knew it, he graduated ACA with honors as the class salutatorian and had earned scholarships to attendcollege.

Today, he is a sophomore at Grand Canyon University, plays the bass guitar in the worship band at his church, volunteers in the community and is considering options for employment after graduating college. He found the foundation of his potential at ACA and is heading towards a successful, bright future.

No question, education is vital for our children. It is our responsibility as parents to find the best, most well-rounded environment of learning for them so that they can flourish and gain an advantage for their future. I encourage you to explore the ACA experience for yourself and then to partner with the staff and benefit your child for their future.

Sincerely,
Barry A. McBride, CLU, AEP
Advisory Board Member