Fridley Preschool is the only preschool program in the state to offer the IB PYP program

Fridley Public Schools is proud to announce that Fridley Preschool has received authorization from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization to provide the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in its 3- and 4-year-old Preschool program. The authorization, awarded in December 2020, officially made Fridley Preschool the only preschool in the state that provides the PYP, and Fridley Public Schools the only Minnesota school district to offers the full continuum of the rigorous IB programs to all its students in preschool through grade 12.

Fridley's Principal of Alternative Services Dr. Jason Bodey said the authorization has made Fridley Preschool a wonderful early step for its youngest students to be well prepared for kindergarten through the IB’s focus on developing the whole child.

“Preschool is often the first entry into school for students and families,” said Karin Beckstrand, the district’s Preschool PYP coordinator. “We know that children learn more when they are happy and engaged.  Through IB’s inquiry-based learning, children ask questions that guide their desire for knowledge, lead to discovery and make education an adventure,” she said.

Fridley Preschool embarked on the lengthy and rigorous process to become an authorized PYP preschool in 2017. Earning authorization includes multiple applications and reviews, as well as an official visit from a certified IB team. Pursuing the Preschool’s PYP authorization was part of the district’s vision to provide the full IB continuum for all its students beginning in preschool.

“By providing an IB education at the preschool level, our youngest learners start their educational journey through play-based and inquiry-based learning and utilizing the four pillars of IB Early Years guidance that focus on play, relationships, learning environments, and symbolic exploration and expression,” said Beckstrand. 

The IB’s unique and innovative approach to learning provides a rigorous curriculum framework that encourages students to think critically, to consider both local and global contexts, and develop a second language. At Fridley, all students have the opportunity to begin learning a second language of Spanish in Kindergarten.

Beckstrand added that the PYP provides a map for learning via six transdisciplinary themes: who we are, where we are in place and time; how we express ourselves; how the world works; how we organize ourselves; and sharing the planet.  “Along the way, students also build within themselves the IB’s Learner Profile characteristics that equip them for success in the future,” she said.