If your child turns five before the end of next year, you have probably started hearing the question at church and at birthday parties. Where is she going to Kindergarten?
For fall 2027 that decision comes sooner than most parents expect. Applications for 2027/2028 at Calvary Christian Academy open January 4th, 2027, and the first round of decisions is made in March.
Kindergarten is more than the first year of school. It is the year a child learns what school is: whether learning is a joy or a chore, whether the adults in the room can be trusted, and whether God's Word sits at the center of the day or off to one side. Those first impressions last a long time.
Here are a few things worth looking for, and what each one looks like at CCA.
Start with Your Child, Not the Calendar
At CCA we ask that a child be five by December 31 of the Kindergarten year, ideally. That is a guideline rather than a hard cutoff. Some children with fall birthdays are ready and some are not, and you know your child better than any chart does.
If you are unsure, bring your child on a tour and talk it through with us. Part of our admissions process is a short assessment, so we can see where your child is and start from there.
Will the school help me think through readiness, or only point me to a date?
Look for a Room Where Your Child Is Known
A five year old needs to be noticed. In a large class it is easy for the quiet child to go unseen and the busy child to be managed rather than taught.
Kindergarten at CCA is its own classroom, separate from the older grades, with up to 12 students. Melody Cote teaches it. In a room that size a teacher knows each child well: who needs a little more time, who is ready for more, and who had a hard morning.
How many children will be in my child's room, and who will teach them?
Look for Real Content, Not Only Activities
Young children love to memorize. They sing the same song fifty times, ask for the same story every night, and are proud of what they know. A classical Kindergarten fills those years with things worth knowing.
Our Kindergarteners learn to read through phonics, using Memoria Press Phonics Readers and Spell to Write and Read. They learn to write in cursive from the start with Cursive First, which surprises some parents (we will explain why in a post next month). They do math with Horizons K, sing their way around the world with Geography Songs, and explore science through The World Around Me.
They hear real books read aloud: Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh, and Paddington. They hear the Old Testament as one continuous story through The Child's Story Bible, and they meet men and women who carried the gospel at real cost through missionary biographies.
What will my child actually read and learn this year?
Look for Faith at the Center of the Day
Every school day at CCA starts with Morning Recitation. For a few minutes the class recites together: Scripture, poems, and whatever they are committing to memory that season. Children start the morning with God's Word in their mouths, and they do it together.
Students study the Bible every day, attend chapel every week, and learn hymns for chapel and the Christmas concert. Even our youngest students learn four virtues by name in our CORD Honor Code: courage, obedience, respect, and diligence, each tied to a verse of Scripture.
Is the Bible one subject on the schedule, or the lens for the whole day?
The Practical Side
Kindergarten is a full school day, like every other grade: 9:00am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday.
Students bring their own lunch, and staff are happy to warm food up. Students wear uniforms, with a navy, golden rod, or white polo and navy or khaki bottoms most days. We do not offer before or after care at this time.
CCA partners with Christian families, so at least one parent or guardian must be a believing, professing Christian.
Key Dates for Fall 2027
Applications open: January 4th, 2027
Priority application deadline: January 29th, 2027
Enrollment decisions for priority applications: March 12th, 2027
Common reply date: March 30th, 2027
The best time to visit is before applications open, while the Kindergarten room is in full swing. Visits happen during the school day and take about 45 minutes. Bring your child; watching how they respond to a classroom will tell you more than we can.
Financial Aid Available As God Provides. Please do not let cost be the reason you never come and see CCA.
As you pray about where your child will begin school, we would love to show you our Kindergarten on an ordinary school day. Schedule a Tour
Laura Castillo
Application and Enrollment Coordinator
775-333-6271
info@ccareno.org