General info/schedule: Our preschool accepts children ages 2.5 through 5 years of age, and accepts 6 and 7 year olds during the summer. Children entering preschool must be completely potty trained, by state regulation, meaning that they are completely independent in knowing when they need to ‘go’ and, with some reminding, can care for their own toileting needs (i.e. dressing, undressing, wiping, washing).
In preschool, children begin participating in more teacher-directed activities. The day offers a balance of teacher-directed and child-chosen activities, both inside and outside, all centered around weekly themes planned and carried out by our teachers. They also spend time in our indoor playground, a roomy 1,000+ square foot open, carpeted, sunny room with many wheeled toys and small climbing gyms.
As they progress through our three year preschool program, the classes are divided into Preschool 3s (30 months-42+ months), PreK (3.5s-4s) and Junior K (4s-5s). In each room, age-appropriate lessons from teachers build on past experiences and knowledge to build into each child a love for school, for exploration and for learning at many levels: cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual.
Each teacher posts weekly lesson plans and daily schedules in their room or on their door, along with weekly notes & newsletters to keep you informed about classroom happenings. Upon exiting either our PreK or JuniorK classrooms, children are fully equipped for a successful Kindergarten experience.
Food & supplies: You will need to provide lunches, but we will provide snacks (mornings & afternoon) for your preschooler. We will also provide a drink at lunch, although you may pack one if you wish. Generally, we serve juice with our snacks and 2% milk with our lunches. We will give you a supply list at the start of your time in Preschool, but generally, you will need to supply changes of clothing (for accidents) and a crib sheet (to fit over our mats or cots at rest time).
Staffing: We employ a specially trained, state qualified Group Leaders to staff our room at a ratio of 1:8 (Preschool 3s), 1:10 (PreK 4s) and 1:12 (JuniorK). Our staff is carefully chosen with complete background checks performed. We maintain on-going education, conduct regular staff meetings and compensate our teachers at an above average level, which all allows us to attract and keep an excellent staff. Classrooms have capacities much greater than our ratios, but are generally limited to 8, 10 and 12, respectively, except under special circumstances, when a teacher’s aide is added to our staffing.
