Preschool Benchmarks for Cathedral Students

Sending your preschooler off to school for the first time can be challenging, especially if they are only 3 or 4 years old. However, providing your child with a high-quality, private preschool education will position them for success in all facets of life. Children develop a solid foundation in pre-academic, social, and general life skills at preschool that will help them succeed in school and beyond. At School of the Cathedral, a private Catholic School in Baltimore, MD,  we have identified the following benchmarks our preschool students should be able to reach by the end of the school year. And if you are searching for a “private preschool near me,” rest assured … sending your student to the School of the Cathedral will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.

Not all church preschools are created equal, but after a year with the School of the Cathedral, you can expect your preschooler to have met these four private preschool benchmarks.

6 Private Preschool Benchmarks for our Students

1. Social & Emotional Development

  • Regulates one’s own behavior and emotions
  • Develops healthy relationships with adults and other children
  • Foster a positive personal identity
  • Shows curiosity, and persistence, respond to questions,
  • Follows classroom routines/rules
  • Sharing, taking turns and playing games by following simple rules

2. Physical Well-Being and Motor Skills Development

  • Self-help skills, dressing, washing hands and feeding, cleaning up after oneself 
  • Muscle control, balance and coordination
  • Can run, jump, climb and swing on playground equipment
  • Throw and catch a ball
  • Uses hand strength and control to perform simple tasks
  • Shows beginning control of scissors, writing, drawing and art tools

3. Language and Literacy Skills

  • Follows multi-step directions
  • Listens to stories, asks and responds to questions with comprehension and appropriate vocabulary
  • Speaks clearly and is understood by most peers and teachers
  • Recognize and name some upper and lower case letters
  • Beginning to identify the sound each letter makes 
  • Identifies name in print
  • Sings songs, recites rhymes
  • Retells stories
  • Shows understanding of concepts of print, checks job charts, calendar, seasons, daily plans.
  • Copies letters and words, writes name from memory
  • Represents stories in picture and play

4. Mathematical Thinking

  • Shows a beginning understanding of number and quantity
  • Sorts and classifies by one or two attributes
  • Recognizes simple patterns and can duplicate them
  • Recognizes and can describe the attributes of shapes
  • Understands and uses positional words
  • Is interested in measurement and data

5. Scientific Thinking and Social Concepts

  • Uses senses to observe and explore natural phenomena and materials
  • Asks questions 
  • Makes comparisons
  • Identifies similarities and differences
  • Understands family roles and community members 
  • Understands classroom rules
  • Interested in how technology affects life
  • Understands economic relationships (the transfer of goods and services)

6. Religious Studies and Spirituality

  • Recognizes the church as a special place
  • Knows that prayer is talking to God
  • Participates in prayer
  • Demonstrates the Sign of the Cross
  • Recognizes that God made each of us special
  • Recognizes Jesus as God’s son and Mary as the mother of God
  • Demonstrate how we show love by using kind words and positive actions

Ready to Learn More About Our Private Preschool in Baltimore?

The School of the Cathedral provides a high-quality, Baltimore preschool and early learning center for children between the ages of 4-6 years old. Our students learn through imaginative play, including outdoor activities, art projects, and hands-on science experiments. To learn more about our preschool in Baltimore, contact us today!