Preparation for First Communion and Reconciliation begins during the 2nd grade. As part of the preparation first communion candidates attend a retreat sponsored by the confirmation candidates. Each confirmation candidate will be paired up with a 2nd grader as prayer partners, praying for each other as they both prepare to receive their sacrament.
 

"The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church."
CCC 1407