Ages 6 weeks to 5 years

Preschool

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.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
PROGRAM SCHEDULES
CURRICULUM DISTINCTIVES
MEET A TEACHER

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:
  • Infant/toddlers: 1:5 ratio (3 adults if more than 10 children)
  • 3-year-olds: 1:8 ratio (2 adults)
  • 4-year-olds: 1:10 (2 adults)
  • 5-year-olds: 1:12 (2 adults)

Preschool Programs

EXAMPLE SCHEDULES

Infant
  • Teacher/child interactive play as children arrive
  • Meal time (as appropriate, per individual child’s schedule)
  • Chapel once per week
  • Diapering and handwashing
  • Rest time (6 weeks-15 months)/educational play (15-18 months); fine/gross motor skills, music and movement, outdoor activities, sensory discovery, story/circle time
  • Diapering and handwashing
  • Lunch
  • Educational play (6 weeks-15 months)/rest time (15-18 months); tummy time, fine/gross motor skills, music and movement, outdoor activities, sensory discovery, story/circle time
  • Diapering and handwashing
  • Snack
  • Rest time (6 weeks-15 months)/educational play (15-18 months); fine/gross motor skills, music and movement, outdoor activities, sensory discovery, social/emotional/language development
  • Diapering and hand washing
  • Quiet activities/story time/music and movement
  • Prepare for departure
Toddlers
  • Free play/book time
  • Outdoor/learning center play (gross motor skill development)
  • Diaper/potty break
  • Snack
  • Circle time/Jesus time (chapel once per week)
  • Activity centers (fine motor skill development)
  • Outdoor/learning center play (gross motor skill development)
  • Lunch
  • Diaper/potty break
  • Wiggle time
  • Book time
  • Rest time
  • Diaper/potty break
  • Snack
  • Free play/centers
  • Prepare for departure
  • *Music time with our violin teacher occurs every other week.
3-5-Year Olds
  • Free play combined with center activities on table tops as students arrive
  • Circle time/opening (introduce letter/Bible story of the week; talk about weather/calendar; etc.)
  • Outdoor playground time (big body/gross motor development)
  • Center-based/station activities (fine motor and academic skill development)
  • Snack
  • Jesus time (chapel once per week)
  • Indoor learning center time (big body/gross motor development)
  • Show and tell
  • Half-day pickup
  • Lunch
  • Recess
  • Rest Time
  • Free play/center activities
  • Full-day pick up/Eagle Care check-in
  • *Music time with our violin teacher occurs every other week.

Hours of operation:

Infants and toddlers:

  • Tuition covers our full hours of operation (7 a.m.-6 p.m.), and families work directly with their teacher to set their daily arrival and departure schedules

3 to 5-year-olds:

  • School days run from 8-11:15 a.m. (half days) or 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (full days); extended care is available through our Eagle Care program (see below for details)

Tuition rates are as follows:

Application Fee $25
Enrollment Fee: $400
(half of the enrollment fee applies as a deposit toward your 2024-25 tuition)

Pricing is based on a 10-month payment plan.

Days Per WeekMonthly Price
5$1,100
4$880
3$660

Full-time applicants receive admission preference.


Drop-in care is available to part-time students for $75 a day.

Pricing is based on a 10-month payment plan.

Days Per WeekMonthly Price
5$1,000
4$800
3$600

Full-time applicants receive admission preference.

Drop-in care is available to part-time students for $75 a day.

Pricing is based on a 10-month payment plan.

Days Per WeekFull-Day Monthly Pricing
(8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.)
Half-Day Monthly Pricing
(8-11:15 a.m)
5$1,100$610
4$880$480
3$660$360

Full-time applicants receive admission preference.

Drop-in care is available to part-time students for $45 per half day or $75 per full day.

Pricing is based on a 10-month payment plan.

Days Per WeekFull-Day Monthly Pricing
(8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.)
Half-Day Monthly Pricing
(8-11:15 a.m)
5$1,000$550
4$800$440
3$600$330

Full-time applicants receive admission preference.

Drop-in care is available to part-time students for $45 per half day or $75 per full day.

Pricing is based on a 10-month payment plan.

Days Per WeekFull-Day Monthly Pricing
(8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.)
Half-Day Monthly Pricing
(8-11:15 a.m)
5$950$520

Full-time applicants receive admission preference.

Drop-in care is available to part-time students for $45 per half day or $75 per full day.

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

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“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:

  • Learning about Jesus
  • Participating in weekly chapel
  • Moving to the beat of music
  • Taking part in sensory activities
  • Engaging in story and circle time
  • Expanding receptive and expressive vocabulary

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.

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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.”

Meet More Teachers

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.