Program Information

We believe that children learn best when they are playing. Even academic skills can be taught in a playful manner.

Morning Program

We care for children whose ages range from two years/nine months (potty trained) until they are ready for Kindergarten. We have three classrooms; children are placed according to parents' discretion, chronological age and developmental skills.

Afternoon Program

Some children finish their day right before or after lunch. Others stay for the afternoon program, which includes optional nap and mixed age playtime. Weather permitting, children play outside. During inclement weather, we provide unstructured playtime in the classrooms and a large multi-purpose room. They conclude their day with story time, art projects and inside play. Staff ratio: 4 teachers or 3 teachers and 1 aide care for 35-40 children.

Midyear Moves

Children do not make moves to another room midyear; rather moves begin to occur in the month of June and throughout the summer. This policy was created to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

• Children have bonded with their peers and their teachers; it is unsettling for the child to be inserted into a new established classroom.
• If we start the process of a midyear move for one child, we are likely faced with many requests from other families that we are not able to accommodate.

An exception: Within the first month of attendance we discover that a child’s placement is not working, we will make every effort to accommodate the child’s needs and change classrooms.

General Information

Children may attend full time or part time (with a minimum of 9 hours per week.) They may attend our morning enrichment program, our afternoon play program or full days. After school care is available for children who attend a Special Needs Pre-school Program. If a child with special needs participates in a morning transitional kindergarten class, they may attend our afternoon program with a specific exemption from Community Care Licensing. Please check our Financial Agreement for specific details. An overall goal of our Center is to provide the children with the skills, both social and academic, that will prepare them for the rigors of Kindergarten. We believe that children learn best when they are playing. Even academic skills can be taught in a playful manner.

Early Literacy

Our school introduces pre-reading opportunities. There are writing centers in each classroom and in the playground. Children have access to a variety of paper and crayons, markers, scissors, hole punches, stamps, etc. Children learn to recognize their own name and often the names of their classmates. It is not our intention to teach children to read. Although some will spontaneously discover that when they blend phonetic sounds, a word emerges!

Playground

Throughout the day, all classes have ample time to play in our beautiful playground, which balances the more structured time in the classroom. In addition to imaginative play and gaining gross motor skills, outside play also provides opportunities to grow in other areas. When a child learns how to ride a two-wheeler, that sense of power and prowess transfers right over to academic learning. "I can do it!" is a statement reflecting self confidence.

Bible Stories

All classes participate in Bible stories every day. On one morning each week, all 3 classes come to Chapel. We sing and sing, and then listen to a Bible story. Imagine some 70 preschoolers sitting on their bottoms, singing in full voice and then settling to hear a Bible story. Our Bible stories always come to the same conclusion: God loves you…no matter what! They learn about Jesus, who is God’s son, and models perfect social skills. Children would never hear, ‘God is angry with how you’re acting.’ We believe that the young child is malleable and impressionable. What they learn at this age will help them to make thoughtful decisions when they reach an age of accountability.