Kindergarten

Extended Day Kindergarten will be offered at the following Elementary schools beginning in August of 2018:

• Clarence Lobo
• Del Obispo
• Harold Ambuehl
• Hidden Hills
• Kinoshita
• Marblehead
• R.H. Dana
• Wagon Wheel
• Wood Canyon
• Las Palmas
• San Juan Elementary
• Viejo

Capistrano Unified will be expanding Extended Day Kindergarten in 2019-20. For answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Extended Day Kindergarten and the District’s plans, please review the information linked below.

• Extended Day Kindergarten - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

All other Elementary Schools in the Capistrano Unified School District offer an Early Bird/Late Owl overlapping program.  The Kindergarten instructional day lasts approximately three and a half hours. The flow of a typical Kindergarten day varies among schools. Students generally start the day with a literacy block where they work in large and small groups on reading and writing skills. During this time, they also learn to tell stories together and, later in the year, they may write in a daily journal. Students often take turns working on a computer. Art and music/movement programs are built in throughout the day.

All neighborhood schools accept registration forms for kindergarten students. Parents are encouraged to attend kindergarten orientation sessions held in the spring prior to the child entering school in the fall. For more information on kindergarten registration and orientation, please contact individual schools.

The Kindergarten Plus program is a fee-based partnership between Capistrano Unified and the YMCA to offer a full-day kindergarten program. It is designed to meet the needs of working parents, provide additional instructional time for kindergarten students and allow more time for teachers to implement the kindergarten standards.

Kindergarten Plus is a structured, academic enrichment program that reinforces concepts taught in your child’s kindergarten classroom based on state and district standards.

The Kindergarten Plus core components include:

• Language Arts/Literacy
• Science/Technology
• Construction/Problem Solving
• Mathematics/Manipulative Activities
• Arts and Humanities
• Character Development
• Inclusion support for children with special needs

Kindergarten Plus programs operate on all school days from Kindergarten dismissal until 1-5 grade dismissal. Extended childcare available until 6 pm.

The Kindergarten Plus program is offered at numerous elementary schools:

Please contact your school principal about your child’s school, or contact your local YMCA Branch.