Weekday Preschool & Kindergarten Classes

On weekdays we offer school to students between the ages of 3 and 6: The youngest can join our preschool, and the older ones go to Kindergarten.

Preschool (3yr-5yr)

Our preschool program is a play- and project-based program where students have time for free play with their classfriends along with structured projects that incorporate different themes of the seasons, cultural events, the environment, kids' interests, and more. Each project lasts about 4-6 weeks and is driven by the children's curiosity and ideas which will be incorporated in the learning process. All projects will cover science, reading, mathematical concepts, music, art, and crafts, and will be taught in German only.

All students who require a nap will have a possibility to sleep during the day. Student's who do not nap will still have "quiet time" in the classroom to calm down and relax from the whirlwind of preschool.

Kinderschule also nurtures physical well-being through frequent trips to the playground or walks in the neighborhood (weather permitting), and physical education in the DANK Haus.

Kindergarten (5yr/6yr)

Our Kindergarten program is a full-day dual-language program where learning is project based and driven by the children's curiosity. Students will deepen their understanding of the world in Social Studies, Science, PE, arts, language, and math, as laid out by the Illinois State Standards.

Most of the learning is embedded in German immersion, but we also incorporate English Language Arts, and Math in English following Illinois State Standards. This will help our students to successfully transition to an American first grade program. Some mathematical concepts, such as comparing shapes, and object-numbers correspondence, will be taught in German, while other concepts must be taught in English such as counting to 100 by ones and tens.

Kinderschule also nurtures physical well-being, through frequent trips to the playground or walks in the neighborhood (weather permitting) and physical education in the DANK Haus.

After graduating the weekday preschool and kindergarten, we offer our Community Based Heritage Learning School on Saturdays to maintain our students' German.  

Diversity and Gender Norms

At our Haus we strive to be respectful and inclusive, and while the German language structure has a rigid binary structure, we are aware of the implications of these norms, and aspire to teach our children a more inclusive way of using these structures. And although there are limitations to what the language allows grammatically, please let us know directly if you or your child(ren) have a preferred noun and/or pronoun you and/or your child would like to be addressed with.

Times and Costs Overview

Cost are billed monthly, due on the 1st of the month September through June.

Please contact us for alternative payment schedules, we want to work with you to find a solution.

Sibling Discount 7% per year year for each additional child.

Registration

Please pay a one time $200 application fee when registering. This fee will be deducted from your first invoice, and is non-refundable.

Please contact us at kinderschule@dankhaus.com if you would like to schedule a tour, or if you have any questions or concerns. 

Payment must be received within 15 minutes of registration to avoid automatic cancellation of your registration. Please reach out to us if you have any questions!