Where Families Come for Care and Stay for Community
When it comes time to entrust your little one to the care of others, you want the best environment and people in their lives. You want to see them thrive in a loving and safe setting, one that mirrors your family’s values. You’re looking for structure and continuity of care, but you also want your child to have fun playing and socializing. Your desire for them is to grow cognitively, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
At Sioux Falls Lutheran School, we understand that and are committed to providing a high-quality environment where research-based approaches to learning and the love of Jesus Christ are intertwined, from infant preschool all the way to 12th grade. As the only local Christian school with programming for all ages on campus, we commit to building meaningful connections and providing playful learning opportunities at the baby and toddler stages to make way for robust academics and extracurriculars in later years. Along the way and throughout a child’s lifetime, our focus on Christ and community remains.
Discover why our preschool has been a “Local Best” award winner since 2007.
Contact our admissions team at (605) 335-1923 or admissions@sflutheranschool.com.
Where Children Play, Learn, and Grow
Since 1977, our early childhood educators have shepherded more than 5,000 young minds to know Jesus and have laid foundational skills to help them excel. You can expect the same for your son or daughter when you choose SFLS for his or her education.
Here are just a few of the features parents love about our preschool program:
Consistent routines and faces:
Your child will have predictable routines in the same classroom with the same qualified caregivers, including certified teachers for ages 3+.
Frequent communication:
Teachers communicate with families weekly (or more frequently) through email. They provide a recap of each week, including photos, and share what to look forward to the following week. The school office also sends a weekly all-school newsletter to families, and additional communications from the school leadership team are shared from time to time.
Engaging, hands-on learning:
Our joyful teachers engage children in intentional, play-based learning that sparks curiosity, inspires creativity, and strengthens gross and fine motor skills.
Technology to complement lessons:
While screen time is limited in these early years, infant and toddler teachers periodically use interactive song and book videos within the classroom. Each 3-to-5-year-old preschool room has a Promethean board, which provides opportunities for interactive matching games and name writing activities for 3-to-5-year-olds.
Safety:
Preschool parents always drop off and pick up their children in the classroom. Additionally, the preschool entrance is monitored by members of the leadership team when doors are unlocked during busy arrival and departure times (7-8:30 a.m. and 3-3:30 p.m.). After those times, doors are locked, and visitors must go through the front door, which requires a buzz-in.
Our preschool teacher-to-student ratios are as follows:
Preschool Programs
EXAMPLE SCHEDULES
Hours of operation:
Infants and toddlers:
3 to 5-year-olds:
Tuition rates are as follows:
Enrollment Fee: $400
(half of this fee applies as a deposit toward your 2024-25 tuition)
Extended Care
Eagle Care, our before and after school program, is available for 3 to 5-year-olds from 7-8:00 a.m. and 3:30-6:00 p.m. Preschoolers in this program receive a snack and have extra time for indoor and outdoor play. Families interested in Eagle Care must register for the program with our Eagle Care director. While we do our best to accommodate as many students as possible, enrollment priority is given to full-time Eagle Care attendees. Part-time and drop-in care is available only if there is room to stay within required student-to-staff ratios required by the State of South Dakota.
Learn More About SFLS
Download Our Parent Information Packet
“As a parent, this is the best place for your kids. You know they are safe, you know they are learning about Jesus, and you know they are building all the skills they need to have in life to strengthen their walk with Jesus.”
– Britney, SFLS Preschool Parent
Experienced Educators
Your child will be nurtured by our experienced educators who design engaging lessons that are grounded in play-based learning, which is a research-based best practice for early learners. At our private Christian preschool, joyful teaching reinforces academic, social, emotional, and spiritual development and encourages children to have a positive attitude about school.
Peacemaking Curriculum
At this educational stage, boys and girls learn valuable soft skills, such as problem-solving and conflict resolution, thanks to our integration of the Bible-based curriculum PeaceWiseKids. While the curriculum formally begins once children reach the age of 5, all teachers are trained in the PeaceWise method and intentionally teach PeaceWise principles as opportunities arise, such as when children are engaging socially with one another during free play.
Age-Appropriate Activities
Whether they’re just learning to take their first step or are already mobile, your child will benefit from fine and gross motor skills development, such as strengthening finger muscles for holding writing utensils and building the muscles and balance needed to sit in chairs at snack time. They’ll also enjoy moments like these:
Infants and Toddlers
At this age, children are encouraged to progress toward meeting developmental milestones through indoor and outdoor play, sensory activities, and social interactions. Other activities include tummy time and potty training.
3 to 5-Year-Olds
Students at this stage are starting to prepare for kindergarten. They are developing pre-reading and writing skills, including letter recognition and formation, as well as syllable and phonemic awareness through the use of evidence-based curriculum. Additionally, children benefit from pre-math and science instruction, such as counting, simple addition and subtraction of physical items, patterning, and hands-on STEM-based exploration of how things work.
Excellent Music Instruction
Every other week, preschoolers participate in music lessons that build foundational pre-reading and math skills through the exploration of rhythms, beats, counting, patterning, and sound differentiation. These lessons are taught by our violin teacher, who prepares students for Suzuki-based small group violin lessons that begin in our Fantastic Fives and Kindergarten classes.
Continuous PK-12 Experience
If you’re like many parents we speak with, you understand that preschool is a vital stepping stone to the larger K-12 experience. Not only do you want continuity of care within your preschool program, you want it throughout your child’s entire educational journey. You want to be part of a tight-knit community of families and educators who share your values and who you can count on. That’s one of the many reasons parents of early learners choose SFLS. We are the only local Christian school that offers continuous education for infants to high school seniors — all on the same familiar campus. In addition, our play-based preschool instruction, which is rooted in Christ, lays the foundation for challenging academic, social, emotional, and spiritual growth in the years to come.
Meet a Teacher
Heather Miller
Degree: Elementary Education Degree through Dakota State University; Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction through Concordia University, Portland; Colloquy Certification through Concordia University, Nebraska
Experience: Teacher at SFLS since 2011
“I love the kids and their creativity. It’s fun to think about things from a 3-year-old’s perspective and understand how their minds work as they are learning and growing…I love playing in the dirt. It’s fun to explore God’s creation by getting messy with the kids. Once we’re done, we can wash up and become clean again, which presents a natural opportunity to talk about the many ways God can and does clean up the messes in our lives.”
Ready to visit our private Christian preschool?
See firsthand why families choose SFLS. Contact our admissions team at 605-335-1923 or admissions@sflutheranschool.com.
