At Walden, the journey to goodness starts in Kindergarten
More than ABCs
At Walden, Kindergarten is about more than learning to read and count—it is the foundational stage for making good people. But what does that look like in practice? How do you measure kindness, integrity, and community alongside literacy and numeracy?
While many programmes focus solely on "Kindergarten Readiness" (academic benchmarks), our programme focuses on Life Readiness. This means our curriculum is designed to nurture:
Integrity: Teaching children to do the right thing, even when no one is watching.
Empathy: Practicing how to see the world through a classmate's eyes.
Resilience: Viewing mistakes as a natural part of growth, not a failure.
Let’s lay out the critical characteristics of our programme and share with you how we deliver a more fulfilling experience for our youngest students. We encourage you to use this information as an evaluation checklist as you’re reviewing options.
Ultimately, trust your "gut" during a school tour. Ask yourself: Do the children here look engaged and happy?
If you walk into a classroom and it feels like a place you would want to spend your day—full of curiosity, warmth, and interesting things to touch—it’s likely a great fit for your child. Choosing a kindergarten is a big deal. It’s that first "real" step away from home, and you want to know your child is in a place where they’ll be challenged and truly known.
At Walden, we focus on three pillars that turn a good kindergarten program into an exceptional one.
1. The Building Blocks: Strong Skills, Small Classes
We know you want your child to have a rock-solid foundation in reading and math. But at age five, that shouldn't mean hours of boring worksheets.
Small Groups, Big Progress: Because our classes are small, our teachers can sit down with just a few kids at a time for direct instruction in phonics and math. It’s personalized, not "one-size-fits-all."
Learning by Doing: We balance written work with plenty of hands-on exploration. Think of it as "purposeful play"—building a bridge to understand math or using tactile tools to master letters.
The "Cool" Subjects: Our kids don't just stay in one room. They get to work with specialist teachers for French, P.E., Design, and the Arts. It keeps their day exciting and uncovers hidden talents early on!
2. The Heart: Making Good People
Our motto isn’t just a wall decoration; it’s what we do every day. We believe being "smart" is great, but being "good" is better.
Daily Kindness: We spend time every single day talking about how to be a good friend, how to share, and how to manage those "big feelings" that come with being a youngster.
Teamwork: Whether they are building a block tower or putting on a play, our students are constantly practicing collaboration and problem-solving together.
The Result: We’re helping them grow into the kind of people you’d want as neighbours—compassionate, respectful, and self-aware.
3. The Mindset: Curiosity is Everything
In our IB program, we don’t just give kids the answers; we celebrate their questions.
The "Why" Factor: If a child is curious about how bees make honey or why the wind blows, we dive into it. Our "unit inquiries" let kids explore big ideas and see how the world works.
A Global View: Even at this age, we’re opening their eyes to the world. We focus on being open-minded and aware that there’s a whole big, beautiful world beyond our classroom doors.
Academics provide the foundation while character provides the direction—in our program, we make sure our students graduate from kindergarten with a healthy head start on both.
Enjoy a brief video tour of our Kindergarten space.
The Kindergarten Quality Checklist
Use this guide while touring a school or interviewing a principal to see how the program measures up.