A Day in the Life

La Jolla Country Day School’s Early Childhood Program offers half-day and full-day Tiny Torreys and Jr. Kindergarten programs with extended care options before and after the school day. Below is a sample schedule of our students' day.


Tiny Torreys

Weekly Options
Three Full Days
  • Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
Five Half Days
  • Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–Noon
Five Full Days
  • Monday– Friday: 8 a.m.–2:45 p.m.

Sample Schedule

7:30–8:20 a.m.
Family welcome and indoor/outdoor play
  • Staggered arrival
  • Morning health checks, open learning spaces and independent choice activities

8:30–9:15 a.m.
Morning welcome circle and specialty class
  • Welcome students and share plans for the day
  • Storytelling and read aloud with the LJCDS librarian
  • Music with Lower School music teacher

9:15–9:30 a.m.
Snack time
  • Nutritious snack and milk provided for students
  • Opportunity to practice table manners and healthy eating

9:30–10:15 a.m.
Indoor/outdoor exploration
  • Active, unstructured play in the indoor or outdoor learning spaces
  • Activities include imaginative play, trike riding, climbing, mud kitchen play, gardening, creative art, sand and water play, reading, writing, sensory table exploration and building

10:20–10:50 a.m.
Physical education
  • Motor skill focus and group games
  • Taught by physical education teachers

11–11:15 a.m.
Small group activities
  • Early literacy, fine motor, math, science, or social/emotional lessons

11:15–11:55 a.m.
Indoor exploration
  • Free choice
  • Unstructured activities, including block building, dramatic play, science table exploration, puzzles, manipulatives and dramatic play

12 p.m.
Dismissal for half-day students
 
12–12:25 p.m.
Lunch for full-day students
  • Students bring their own lunch
  • Bonding and socializing over a meal
  • Learning to be independent and practicing self-help skills, following directions and taking care of their items

12:25–1:45 p.m.
Story and rest time
  • Teacher reads a story to transition to rest time routine
  • Listen to classical music or recorded stories during rest time
  • Recoup and reinvigorate

1:45–2:30 p.m.
Transition from rest to activity time
  • Students begin to wake up
  • Tabletop activities: art, manipulative activities and math
  • Snack is offered
  • Indoor/outdoor exploration
  • Clean up and dismissal or transition to Extended Day 
 
2:45 p.m.
Dismissal

2:45–5:30 p.m.
Extended Day
 

Junior Kindergarten

Weekly Options
Five Half Days
  • Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–Noon
Five Full Days
  • Monday– Friday: 8 a.m.–2:45 p.m.

Sample Schedule

7:30–8:15 a.m.
Family welcome and outdoor play
  • Staggered arrival
  • Morning health checks, open learning spaces and independent choice activities

8:15–8:40 a.m.
Morning welcome circle
  • Students help plan the day with their ECC educators
  • Morning Message

8:45-9:15 a.m.
Physical education
  • Motor skill focus and group games in the gym
  • Taught by physical education teachers

9:20–9:50 a.m.
Specialty class (library, Spanish, art or music)
  • Read aloud in the Lower School library, and students check out books for the week.
  • Spanish lessons with the Lower School world language teacher
  • Music lessons with Lower School music teacher in the Lower School music room
  • Art lessons in the LS art studio

9:55-10:10 a.m.
Snack time
  • Nutritious snack and milk provided for students
  • Time for bonding and socializing over snacks
  • Opportunity to practice table manners and healthy eating

10:10-10:55 a.m.
Outdoor exploration
  • Active, unstructured play in the outdoor learning spaces
  • Activities include imaginative play, trike riding, climbing, mud kitchen play, gardening, art, sand and water play, reading, writing, sensory table exploration and building

11–11:15 a.m.
Group activities
(Storytime, art, music & movement, math or language arts, science, global studies or social/emotional lessons)
  • Focus on pre-academics—preparation for kindergarten
  • Literacy, phonics, building words
  • Math activities
  • Fine motor skills through art projects and creativity

11:15 a.m.–12 p.m. 
Indoor exploration
  • Free choice
  • Learning spaces: art and creation stations, dramatic play, block building and writing center

12 p.m.
Dismissal for half-day students

12–12:30 p.m. 
Lunch
  • Students bring their own lunch
  • Bonding and socializing over a meal
  • Learning to be independent and practicing self-help skills, following directions and taking care of their items

12:30–1:45 p.m. 
Rest time

Transition from rest to activity time
1:45–2:30 p.m
Snack is offered
Indoor/outdoor exploration
2:30-2:45 p.m.
Science, SEL, music and dancing fun, or student author and illustrator time.
Clean up

2:45 p.m. 
Dismissal

2:45–5:30 p.m.
Extended Day 

La Jolla Country Day School

9490 Genesee Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440

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