Kindergarten Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does Challenge Charter School offer a Kindergarten Program?   
   
   

   • Yes! Challenge Charter Schools Kindergarten program is delivered in the morning from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm at no charge. There is an afternoon enrichment option from 12:30 pm 3:30 pm. The afternoon enrichment fee is $250 per 20 day block. CCS's afternoon enrichment is not a day care or pre-school oriented environment; it is a full educational day enrichment program providing a sophisticated academic learning environment based in Core Knowledge. This content-rich, diverse curriculum challenges and excites students to learn with hands-on & engaging learning adventures. 

     • Please note:

       Some Kindergartners will benefit from success in our four hour Kindergarten program prior to enrollment in the content-rich 7 hour afternoon enrichment. It would be a disadvantage to enroll or keep your child in the afternoon enrichment program before they are socially, emotionally, or academically ready. Your classroom teacher will discuss your student's needs, assessment results, and most advantageous placement with you.

2. How much does Kindergarten program with the afternoon enrichment (8:30am-3:30pm) cost?
   
   
   • Our full day option is from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and has no tuition cost associated with it.
   • To stay until 3:30 pm and participate in our kindergarten Enrichment Program the cost is $250 per 20 day block.
3.  How long has Challenge Charter Schools Kindergarten Program been in operation?
   
   
   • We are pleased to have been offering a successful Kindergarten Program each year since we opened in 1996. We have been doing so in our new facility since September of 1999. Our address is 5801 W. Greenbriar Dr., Glendale, AZ 85308. We are one block north of Bell Road in between 57th and 59th Ave. The closest major intersection is 59th Ave. and Bell Road.
4. How well do Challenge Charter School Kindergartners perform academically compared to other schools and districts?
   
   
   • Core Knowledge is a high quality, effective curriculum allowing each student the opportunity to be academically challenged, excited, and excel in a hands-on learning environment. Both the extended half- day and the extended full-day Kindergarten programs provide Challenge Charter School's kindergartners with an obvious advantage.
   • We administer Standardized tests and assessments throughout each year so that we can measure our student's academic progress more closely, as well as the performance of the classroom as a whole. Our kindergarten students have always tested well, often testing one or two years ahead. 
   • Please see the General Q & A's (at the start of this packet) to compare our standardized test scores with County & State results.
   • We also keep classroom portfolio assessments of all student progress.
5. Do Challenge Charter School Kindergartners get to participate in the extracurricular/expanded educational opportunities that the school offers?
   
   
   • CCS Kindergartners, unlike in traditional Kindergarten programs, are given the opportunity to participate in all of our extracurricular/expanded educational opportunities as follows:
   • Challenge employs both a full time music teacher and art teacher.  The music and art curriculums are fully integrated with Core Knowledge activities for all Kindergarten through 6th grade classrooms. 
• We have a full-time Physical Education Coach, working with all of our students on a weekly basis.
• Our full time Technology Teacher works with our computer lab equipment where more than 60 laptops and wireless servers that can be connected to the school's academic local area network. There are also mini-computer labs for each four classrooms, as well as at least one computer per classroom.
• We offer extracurricular after school classes on a weekly basis. Some that are currently available include: Dance, Kids Care Club, music, art, and Chess Club. These classes are determined each semester and there are associated fees; please check with the office staff at the start of the school year to see what is available. (Late pick up fees also apply to these classes)
• Kindergartners enrolled in the four hour Program, will participate in the extracurricular activities during that part of the day, but may miss some of the activities mentioned if they take place in the afternoon.
6. How many Kindergarten students attend Challenge Charter School?
   
   
   • Approximately 95-100 students.
7. How many Kindergarten students are in a class?
   
   
   • Here at Challenge Charter School we keep our class size small enough to provide a thorough and attentive educational environment for each student. An average class size ranges from 22-26 students. The teacher is allowed to extend by one more student if they agree to do so. In addition, there are Teacher Instructional Assistants in our classrooms as well as specialized area instructors. Therefore, our overall school instructional ratio is approximately 1 to 18.
8. Are the Kindergarten teachers at Challenge Charter School Certified?
   
   
   • Yes. All classroom teachers currently employed by Challenge Charter School are certified. Specialized area teachers are chosen based on their content competency.
   • We also use Instructional Assistants in our classrooms.  These individuals have a minimum of an Associate's degree (many already have their Bachelor's degree, and are pursuing their continuing educational goals/degree); or they have at least five years experience in a classroom setting.
   • All Challenge Charter School staff members have been fingerprinted and a state and national criminal background check has been done.
9. Does Challenge Charter School have a preschool program?
   
   
   • Challenge Charter School does NOT have a preschool program. 
10. Is there an assessment my student must undergo to qualify for the afternoon enrichment Kindergarten program?
    
    
    • Your kindergartner's 5th birthday must fall on or before August 31st of the enrolling year.

    • Student assessments may take place prior to the first day, will take place during the first few weeks of school, and are on-going to establish your childs learning needs and accomplishments (student assessment during the first week, to six weeks of school includes a variety of assessment tools such as, but not limited to: observation, maturity level, AGS Edition DIAL-R Development Indicators Assessment of Learning). 

    • Some Kindergartners will benefit from success in our four hour Kindergarten program prior to enrollment in the content-rich 3 hour afternoon enrichment. It would be a disadvantage to enroll or keep your child in the afternoon enrichment program before they are socially, emotionally, or academically ready. Your classroom teacher will discuss your student's needs, assessment results, and most advantageous placement with you.
11. What is our Kindergarten curriculum based on?
    
    
    • We are very proud to be the FIRST official Core Knowledge School in Arizona.
    • We are implementing the Hirsch Core Knowledge curriculum supplemented by a Science and Technology overlay. Core Knowledge is a highly effective, quality curriculum which is fully aligned with the Arizona State Standards. It is an integrated, hands-on approach formulated to avoid gaps and repetition in sequence. Students must achieve basic core knowledge of information before moving on to the next grade.  Without this basic core knowledge a student is not prepared with the knowledge needed for continued studies. Like building a pyramid: The foundation must be laid first and strong in order to build the higher levels.
    • We also use the Treasures Reading program by MacMillan/McGraw-Hill and the Harcourt-Brace math program.
    • Core Virtues, a character education program, is also a part of our daily curriculum. It incorporates virtue/character education into lessons for each grade daily including but not limited to respect, integrity, loyalty, honor, compassion, honesty, courage, perseverance,  mercy, and responsibility.
    • Bully-Free Classrooms curriculum is also integrated into each grade level's curriculum calendar several times throughout each school year.
    • The Core Knowledge Series is written and edited by E.D. Hirsch Jr.  Each book in the series is titled after its grade level: "What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know", "What Your 1st Grader Needs to Know", "What Your 2nd Grader Needs to Know", etc. There is a set of these books available for review in the school office. This series can also be found both at your local bookstore and local library.  We encourage parents to become familiar with their student's grade curriculum.
12. Are Kindergarten students expected to abide by the same uniform requirements and discipline policy as other grades?
    
    
    
    • Yes. All students attending Challenge Charter School regardless of grade must abide by all school policies.  
    • Our uniform policy also provides a well-balanced choice of color and articles of clothing. For your convenience we have gone to a single uniform provider.
      Click here for the complete Uniform Policy