4 Year Old Kindergarten - 4K

The Rice Lake School District offers 4-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) to children:

• who are 4 years old on or before September 1st
• who live in the Rice Lake Area School District or
• who have open-enrolled into the Rice Lake School District

We offer 4K in 3 locations:

• Tainter Elementary – Monday-Friday, Extended Day 4K with half day options
• Hilltop Elementary – Monday-Friday, Extended Day 4K with half day options
• Haugen Elementary – Monday-Friday, Extended Day 4K with half day options (please note this is combined 4K-Kindergarten class)

Each 4K Program offers:

• quality classroom experience for 4 year olds
• transportation for families who live in the Rice Lake Area School District
• parent and family activities
• Pyramid Model framework

**Students will be placed at their "home school" within the district, similar to how Kindergarten and all elementary school placements are decided. 

**Classes are in session Monday-Friday

**Extended Day 4K at all school locations - students will be enrolled to attend all-day, with parents having the option to pick up or drop off their child mid-day if desired.

**There is NO FEE for the Extended Day 4K

**Students do not need to be enrolled into RLASD 4K to attend Extended Day

**Mid-day transportation from the Rice Lake Bus Garage is not available. If parents choose to send their child for half-days, they would be responsible for mid-day transportation. 

Warrior 4K After School Club

The 4K After School Club is designed to provide a safe, supervised, fun, and enriching environment after the school day for children in 4-Year-Old Kindergarten.

The program is available on days when school is in session from the end of the school day until 5:30 p.m.

Starting the 2026-2027 school year, the Warrior 4K After School Club will be housed at Hilltop Elementary School.
*For students attending Tainter Elementary, supervised school transportation will be provided from Tainter Elementary School to Hilltop Elementary School for the After-School Club. Students will be escorted from the bus to the After-School Club Room at Hilltop.

Goals:

• To provide a safe, healthy, and supervised environment for children in  4K from the end of the school day until 5:30 p.m.  
• To provide opportunities for exercise through indoor and outdoor  playground games and free play.
• To provide increased opportunities for academic achievement with time  devoted to reading, math, and music time.
• To provide nutrition with healthy after-school snacks.
• To provide enrichment through arts and crafts projects, dramatic,  sensory, and imaginative play, board games, music time, and time  devoted to exploring new interests.
• To provide opportunities for character development, service learning,  and life skills.

Hours and Cost:

Monday through Friday

*From school dismissal until 4:30pm - $30 per week
*From school dismissal until 5:30pm - $60 per week

The Pyramid Model focuses on creating an environment where every child feels good about coming to school, which includes the following areas of emphasis at school. 

WHAT IS THE PYRAMID MODEL?
*Designing engaging classrooms
*Building positive relationships
*All staff work together to make sure the student understands the expectations. 

NURTURING & RESPONSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Building relationships with children
*Relationships with children
*Supportive conversations
*Positive attention 

HIGH QUALITY SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Predictable daily schedules 
*Schedule
*Transitions
Creating effective classroom routines
*Effective classroom routines
*Promoting children's engagement
Teaching behavior expectations across classroom routines
*Expectations and rules
*Providing clear, effective directions  

TARGETED SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS
Teaching social and emotional skills
*Friendship skills
*Emotional literacy
*Self-regulation & anger management
*Problem solving

To learn how you can support the Pyramid Model at home with your child, click here! 

The School Day

Each day will involve many varied opportunities for your child. These include, but are not limited to, circle time, story time, small and large motor play, art, music, cooking, field trips, and guest speakers. The schedule for each day may vary depending on the site of enrollment.

Each 4K Site offers a quality classroom experience for your 4 year old and follows the Pyramid Model framework which includes engaging classrooms, building positive relationships, and creates an environment where every child feels good about coming to school.

These are the important skills that we work on in 4K:

• Literacy: Starting by looking at letters of the alphabet and learning what our names look like
• Math: Starting by counting and looking at numbers
• Social Emotional: We will work on communication, how we feel, friendship, and our play skills
• Fine motor: Starting with strengthening our fingers by pinching and picking up small items, playing with play dough, and Legos
• Gross motor: Starting with our core. Knowing where our space is, being able to sit up and have large body movements
• Science: Learning to experiment and have curiosity
• Social studies: Learning about places around us and our neighbors

4K Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a birth date cut off for 4K?
Yes - September 1 is the cut off date for 4K enrollments

When will I know where my child will be attending 4K?
Letters notifying families of their child's 4K school placement will be sent out late May/early June. You can find a map of the school district school zones here. 

Why should I enroll my child in 4K?
Research has proven that children who have had a play-based preschool experience, with a language-rich environment, have higher motivation for learning, get along socially better with their peers, and show greater self-control.

Is there a cost?
No! Our RLASD 4K program is completely free to you!

What will be included in the Extended Day 4K?
Extended Day 4K will include developmentally appropriate activities including play-based learning, play time, rest time, and lunch.

My older children already attend a certain school, will my 4 year old be at the same school?
Yes, we will place your 4K student at the same school as their elementary age siblings, if applicable. If you have older students in the Middle or High school, the 4K placement will be based on where you reside in the district, not necessarily which school is closer to the Middle or High school.