RCL Benziger Catalog 2017 | Page 10

Early Childhood Education The Foundation for Faith Formation

Religion Readiness : Catechesis in early childhood education begins by touching the children ’ s hearts with the Gospel message . Developing the children ’ s awareness of God , using life experiences relevant to the developmental level of young children ages three , four , and five , including kindergarten , is the basis for the process . RCL Benziger believes that religion readiness in early childhood education is a process by which young children come to know God .
RCL Benziger Early Childhood The heart of the religion readiness programs in early childhood education at RCL Benziger is Stories of God ’ s Love . The Scripture-based format engages young children through a story approach that is developmentally appropriate with a family focus . This program provides religious readiness for ages 3 – 4 , 4 – 5 , and kindergarten . The scope of the program aligns with the Be My Disciples elementary program . Therefore , Stories of God ’ s Love serves as the foundational program for ages 3 – 4 , 4 – 5 , and kindergarten for both parishes and Catholic schools using Be My Disciples .
The Blest Are We Kindergarten program serves as the foundation for the Blest Are We elementary program . The methodology uses a thematic approach , which follows the same design as the program for grades 1 – 8 . Stories of God ’ s Love is the religion readiness program for the 3 – 4 and 4 – 5-year-old programs .
The building block for each of our elementary basal programs begins with Stories of God ’ s Love . The manner in which the blocks are built will depend upon your local parish or school program , the philosophy of religion readiness , and the types of programs offered . There is flexibility within each basal to allow for customization and a variety of faith formation models .
The following building blocks illustrate a foundational approach in early childhood religion readiness for basal elementary programs at RCL Benziger .
Be My Disciples Junior High
Be My Disciples Grades 1 – 6
Blest Are We Grades 1 – 8
Stories of God ’ s Love Kindergarten
Stories of God ’ s Love Kindergarten
Blest Are We Kindergarten
Stories of God ’ s Love Ages 4 – 5
Stories of God ’ s Love Ages 3 – 4 and 4 – 5
Stories of God ’ s Love Ages 3 – 4 and 4 – 5
Stories of God ’ s Love Ages 3 – 4
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