EARLY CHILDHOOD

1800 W. Nevada Ave, Benson, MN 56215

Office Hours: Mon. Wed. Fri. 7:30 am - 3:30 pm

Carissa McDonald, Early Learning Program Director

cmcdonald@benson.k12.mn.us

320.842.2717 ext. 3006

Activities Director

Where We Believe Even Our Littlest Learners Need Opportunities!

WELCOME TO BENSON EARLY CHILDHOOD

The Benson Early Childhood program offers learning and engagement opportunities for toddlers and preschoolers ages 18 months to 5 years through our ECFE, School Readiness, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten. All classes are held in the Early Childhood Center, Northside Elementary.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Come and join the fun for this interactive parent and child class! ECFE classes include:

* Parent/Child Activity Time
* Circle Time with stories, music, and games
* Child Snack Time and Free Play
* Parent Discussion Time

School Readiness (SR) is our Preschool learning opportunity for 3-year-olds! Children entering our SR program must be 3 years old and fully potty trained on or before September 1st of the school year they will be attending. Must participate in an Early Childhood Screening.

The SR program is a tuition-based class meeting 2 mornings per week from 8:00 am to 10:45 am. Children will have free-play time, snack time, circle time, and small group activity time.

Tuition for School Readiness is $75.00/month.
Families participating in federal programs such as
MFIP, SNAP, Free and Reduced Lunch, etc. are eligible for a scholarship thanks to Pathways II funding. Scholarships cover half of the monthly cost.

*Other than the start and end dates, we follow the district school schedule for
holidays, vacations, and weather-related school closings.*

Our class is full for the 2024-2025 school year.

Call the Community Education Office at 320-843-4545 for more information!

Registration

Voluntary PreK

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) is our district-based, free*, pre-school. Children entering VPK must be 4 years old and fully potty trained on or before September 1st of the school year he/she will be attending. Must participate in an Early Childhood Screening.

Our VPK program offers children their first, full-day, school experience! Children in the VPK program get an early start on learning the routines and expectations of a school setting as well as a full Social-Emotional curriculum, Kindergarten Readiness skills, and the MN Reading Corps Program.

Our classes are full for the 2024-2025

school year.

Call the Community Education Office at 320-843-4545 for more information.

Registration

Early Childhood Screening

All children must complete a STATE APPROVED
Early Childhood Comprehensive Screening Assessment
BEFORE beginning school.
At the screening you can expect these items to be checked:
Height, Weight, Vision, Hearing, Speech, and Cognitive Skills

Benson Census Update

The Benson Early Childhood program offers these free screenings two times a year in early Fall and early Winter.

Are You On Our Census??

If you have children in your home from birth to age 5 and you are not receiving any mailings from the Benson Early Childhood programs, then we need your information!

In addition to being able to get you the important program information for your children, our program funding is determined by our census numbers. It is very important that you are counted!

If you are new to the district or are not receiving any mailings from our Early Childhood Programs, please fill out our census update form above!

It is VITAL that all of your children from birth to age 5 are on our census list so we can keep you up to date and informed of screening dates and program opportunities for your child!