How is McGregor’s kindergarten different from public school?

Our 5K offers a program from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day. In addition to our regular curriculum, we offer Spanish, science, music, art, and P.E. We follow the S.C. Good Start Grow Smart Early Learning Standards for 5-year-olds. Our ratios are lower than most public school kindergarten classrooms. We are able to accomplish our objectives in a shorter day by eliminating the lunch period and rest time. Our special areas are offered for 30 minutes per class instead of one hour.

What is your bad-weather policy?

We follow the same inclement-weather policies as Lexington/Richland School District 5. We encourage our parents to watch WIS-TV for updates during inclement weather. McGregor Preschool/Kindergarten will always be listed with a message specifying delayed opening or cancellation of classes. If District 5 is closed for the whole day, we are closed for the whole day. If District 5 calls for a two-hour delay, we will be delayed two hours as well. Kindergarten will start at 10:30 a.m., and Preschool classes will start at 11 a.m. Pick-up times and Lunch Bunch will remain at normal times.

Do you make exceptions to the September 1 age cut-off?

We do make exceptions after discussions with the parents and taking into consideration the child’s developmental needs. Our public schools in South Carolina are required to adhere to the September 1 cut-off date; therefore, parents need to make this decision with extreme care. It may mean the child will need to repeat a class at McGregor before he or she is able to go to kindergarten at a public school.

What are the teacher ratios per class?

• Kindergarten - 18:2
  
• 4-year-old classes - 18:2
  
• 3-year-old classes - 16:2 or 18:2, depending on the room size
  
• 2-year-old classes - 8:2 or 12:2, depending on the room size
  
• 1-year-old classes - 6:2
  

When does the school year begin and end?

Classes will begin in late August or early September and end in late May. We tend to start one to two weeks after District 5 and end one to two weeks earlier.