Preschool
Alexandra College Preschool is a two-year programme for 3- and 4-year-old girls.
The Preschool provides a happy and exciting learning environment that encourages individual and social development using the principles of Friedrich Froebel. Girls who attend the Preschool will be offered a place in the Junior School.
Educational Programme
Childhood marks the beginning of each person’s lifelong learning journey. Aistear is the national early childhood curriculum framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland. Aistear is the Irish word for journey. The Aistear framework provides information to help practitioners, including infant teachers and Early Start teachers, to plan for and provide learning experiences that will allow each child to grow and develop as a competent and confident learner. Aistear describes the types of learning experiences that are important for children in early childhood.
Part 1 sets out 12 principles and 4 themes to describe the content of children’s learning.
The themes are:
- Well-being
- Identity and Belonging
- Communicating
- Exploring and Thinking
Each theme connects with most, if not all, of the subjects in the Primary School Curriculum. Aistear focuses on developing children’s dispositions and skills, nurturing attitudes and values, and building knowledge and understanding of their world through these themes.
School Day
- The Preschool class runs from 8:45 am to 1:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Drop off begins at 8 am each day.
- The Preschool year runs for 38 weeks from the end of August to mid-June.
Part 2 of Aistear consists of four sets of guidelines. These focus on:
- enriching learning through interactions
- learning through play
- using assessment to support learning
- working with parents.
AfterCare Programme
After a busy day of learning, the girls get to relax and play both inside and outside in an easy, home-like atmosphere under the excellent guidance of our AfterCare team.
- Preschool After-School Care is available from 1:00-6:00 pm Monday to Friday during term time.
- Junior School After-School Care is available from 3:00-6:00 pm Monday to Friday during term time.
The girls play with games, dress up and colour. We try to get outside for playground and outdoor games every day, weather permitting. From 4:00 pm the older girls join us from Prep or extracurricular activities to finish homework, play, read or just relax with their friends. A light tea or afternoon snack is provided each day at 5:00 pm.
These services are available at additional cost. For more information, please contact our Admissions Team.
ECCE Scheme
Children attending our Preschool may avail of the ECCE Scheme. To see if your daughter is eligible, click here for the ECCE calculator.
