Ages and Number of Students
St. John the Baptist Catholic School offers preschool to children ages 3 to 5 years old. We are licensed with the State of Minnesota and have two classrooms for up to 42 students. One classroom is for our youngest students who are two academic years away from Kindergarten (Pre-School), and another classroom is for our students who are one academic year away from Kindergarten (Pre-K). St. John the Baptist Catholic School mandates preschool students to be supervised by trained adults at all times, maintaining the ratio of one teacher for every 10 students.
Days Offered
We are open Monday-Friday on days when school is in session. We offer a full-day program, which is 8:30-3:30, and parents may choose from 2, 3, or 5-day options for preschool. Before-school care is available starting at 7:00 am, and aftercare is available until 5:30 pm. St. John’s does not currently offer summer programming for preschool students.
Daily Preschool Schedule
| 8:30-8:50 | Students go to class as they enter |
| 9:00-9:15 | Prayer and Pledge/Morning Meeting |
| 9:50-10:00 | Clean up |
| 10:00-10:40 | Specialist and Snack |
| 10:45-11:15 | Circle Time – Phonics – Story |
| 11:15-11:35 | Recess |
| 11:45-12:30 | Lunch |
| 12:30-1:00 | Centers/Reading/Art |
| 1:00-1:25 | Clean up & Bathroom |
| 1:25-1:45 | Social Studies/Religion/Story |
| 1:45-2:15 | Rest time |
| 2:15-2:40 | Bathroom Wash Snack Pack |
| 2:40-3:10 | Recess |
| 3:20-3:30 | Dismissal |
Parent Testimonials
“We love the daily greeting by the teachers, staff, and the Principal every morning when we arrive at school. It’s a great way for my son to start the day! My son comes home from three-year-old preschool talking about letters. “My friend’s name is Henry, that starts with the letter “H”. Our son comes home from preschool excited to talk about what he has learned at the Atrium (Catechisis of the Good Shepherd). I love that he is exploring his faith at such a young age.” – Ashley
“Our family has really seen growth in our preschooler’s confidence in learning. He lights up when he shares new things he has learned with his class. His teachers are wonderful and embrace his whole personality while encouraging him to try new activities and learning.” – Jennifer
Curriculum
St. John the Baptist Catholic School Preschool Program utilizes the Believe and Read early literacy curriculum by Groves Literacy Organization and the Mother Goose Preschool Curriculum. Teachers rotate Mother Goose themes monthly. Mother Goose includes themes such as safari, garden, dinosaurs, human body, winter, rainforest, and many more.
Our religion lessons come from the Image of God series and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Your preschooler will learn age-appropriate social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual skills. Our preschool students have a specialist class each day, which includes Art, STEM, Physical Education, and Music.
Teachers develop and maintain daily routines and set consistent limits to help children develop a sense of trust and promote learning. Guidance includes encouraging children to talk about how they feel. Teachers model language and actions to express feelings. Teachers recognize and affirm positive behavior throughout the day. Teachers’ response to unwanted behavior may include: ignoring the behavior, redirecting the activity, calm, clear words to encourage positive ways for the child can express themselves, and discussing the problem.