Preschool Q&A with Stacy

What special activities do you offer throughout the year?
We provide at least one special event each month. For example, last year we had a Pet Day in September. Students, with help from parents, brought their pets or pictures of pets to school for a special Pet Show on the playground.

In October we carved pumpkins and scattered the seeds in our backyard. They “magically” turned into pumpkins by the next school day! Students “picked” them and painted them in art class. They also wore costumes and participated in face painting, cookie decorating and had loads of fun!

Students painted a 12 foot tall tepee in November and cooked an entire Thanksgiving feast! They shucked corn, snapped beans, cut up fruit and made their very own pumpkin pies! We sat down to a wonderful meal complete with handmade Pilgrim and Native American costumes and place settings.

In December we wore our P.J.’s, sipped hot chocolate and read The Polar Express. We even had a surprise visit from Santa himself!

Spring activities have included hunting Easter eggs, planting a vegetable garden and a visit from a farm animal petting zoo.

We end the year with a family picnic, complete with food, games, bounce houses & train rides.

These are just a few of the special events that correlate with our thematic units and delight the children!

Do students ever have time to just play?
Of course! Play is how children learn. Play should be fun. While children are having fun, play is how they acquire, practice, and master skills. They strengthen their small and large muscles and form attitudes toward others and about themselves.

We provide opportunities for plenty of fun play. We have centers throughout the school such as Home Living, Blocks and Reading. Centers are changed throughout the year to correlate with monthly themes and/or new concepts being taught.

Students also have plenty of free, outdoor play time on our playground when weather permits. When indoors, we utilize our large, multi-purpose room for fun, large motor skill play.

Exactly what do preschoolers do during their Specials classes?
Kindermusik: As a certified Kindermusik teacher myself, and having had both my children in Kindermusik, I can tell you that it is the best music program around for preschoolers! Kindermusik is divided into 15-week units, with each offering a creative theme that encourages children’s imagination. Students love the playful songs in the unit "See What I Saw", as their bodies become swings, slides and merry-go-rounds. "Toys I Make, Trips I Take" leads children on a magical journey into a remarkable Toy Shop filled with boats, trains, balls, jack-in-the box and many other toys that bring a glimmer into a child’s eyes. While exploring the unit "Hello Weather Let’s Play Together", you might find students making musical weather by creating storm sounds on a drum or throwing pretend snowballs. Children become street musicians while exploring the sounds of the city in "Cities! Busy Places, Friendly Faces." Whether it be singing, playing musical instruments, listening to stories or pretending, Kindermusik is an experience you will not want your child to miss!

Art: If you walk into an art class on any given day, you might find students learning to mix colors with paint, cutting and gluing paper to make collages, or sculpting clay at the clay table. You might find them playing a game as they race to identify the works of Chagall, Matisse or Van Gogh. Students love to create patterns using large, colorful shapes. Boy was I surprised when my 3-year-old son pointed out the patterns on the doctor’s office floor! Students will learn about printmaking and how to marbleize paper. An awesome sight is to see a class of smocked preschoolers, totally absorbed as they paint on canvases twice their size. Every preschooler should be so lucky as to experience art at our school!

Fun Fit: Walk into a Fun Fit Class and you'll see lots of happy faces and hear squeals of delight as students crawl through tunnels, hop through hoola hoops & balance on a beam. You may hear them call out the Basic 4 Food Groups as they twist and turn to the beat. Rolling & catching a ball, keeping a balloon in the air, or acting out the antics of a Chimpanzee, are all a part of keeping preschoolers anticipating next week's surprise in Fun Fit Class!

Some preschools are held in churches. Do you teach Bible lessons at your school?
No, we are primarily a Fine Arts school. However, our staff is Christian and we do observe Christian holidays. We also say a prayer before lunch each day.

Tell me about the credentials of your staff?
Our classroom & specials teachers have college degrees in education and/or a degree or certification in their specialized field. All of our staff, including assistants and office personnel, has prior experience working with children and a gift for loving and nurturing. In addition, all staff members are required by the state to have criminal background checks.

One thing I love about our staff is their flexibility and desire to do whatever necessary to keep the day running smoothly!

What measures do you take to ensure that my child is safe while in your care?
We follow strict, state licensing guideline rules to ensure that every child is safe throughout the day. Our building is securely locked during the day and is equipped with an alarm system, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Our staff is watching over children at all times and is trained to handle emergency situations. We also have an emergency evacuation and relocation plan, which is routinely practiced throughout the year.

How structured is your daily schedule?
We do have a daily class schedule that we keep posted in our classrooms. We have specific times allotted for our specials classes, Circle Time, snack, lunch, etc. However being a small preschool allows for much flexibility. Student moods, changes in weather or a sudden, creative idea may spark a change in our daily schedule.

Sometimes the most surprising learning experiences happen on a day when nothing goes as planned!

As Owner/Director, how closely do you work with the children?
I am a very “hands on” person. I love reading to the children, singing and playing games. I also love working with them one on one to assess their progress. It allows me to really get to know each of them and appreciate their little, individual personalities. I could never sit in an office all day and miss all the fun!

What do you think makes your preschool different from other preschools?
We are a small preschool and I believe one with a homey and inviting atmosphere. Our student/teacher ratio is low, so students get lots of attention from our staff. In addition to a broad range of academic curriculum, students attend a Kindermusik, Art & Fun Fit class each week.

Also, students in our 4 year old and TK programs receive computer & Spanish instruction. Our classroom & specials teachers all hold college degrees in education and our specials teachers are degreed/certified in their specialized field.

Do you primarily focus on Fine Arts? What about academics?
No, Fine Art is just the icing on the cake! We follow state developmental guidelines for 3 year, 4 year and Kindergarten programs. We assess students throughout the year in order to track their growth and development.

New concepts are introduced each day during Circle Time and reinforced throughout the day through play centers, games, individual and small group instruction.

What if my child already knows most of the concepts being taught? Will he be challenged above and beyond state guidelines?
Yes! That’s where small group and individualized instruction comes in. Teachers work individually with students each week to challenge and motivate them on their own individual levels.

What if my child will turn 5 by Sept. 1, but I don’t feel like he/she is ready for traditional/full-day Kindergarten?
This is the type of child I had in mind when we decided to add the Transitional Kindergarten program to our school. This program is specifically designed for children who are 5 but are not physically, academically, or emotionally ready for a full 7-hour day of Kindergarten. If your child has a summer birthday, or just needs an additional year to develop his/her social, academic or physical characteristics prior to entering Kindergarten, this is the place for you.

In addition to benefits of the small class size and low student/teacher ratio, this TK class will include Kindergarten readiness curriculum, a Kinder Keys Piano Class, Art class and Fun Fit class each week.

How does your staff handle behavior problems?
The first thing we try to do is prevent behavior problems by setting up a positive learning environment. We do this by following 5 general steps.

1. Rules: Students are reminded of rules on a daily basis.
 
2. Approval: Students are rewarded with praise for following the rules.
 
3. Ignoring: It is best to ignore inappropriate behavior whenever possible. When inappropriate behavior is NOT rewarded, it will usually stop.
 
4. Disapproval: Behavior must be stopped when a child can be hurt, objects can be destroyed or when learning situations are being interrupted.
 
5. Redirection: Redirecting a student from a negative action to a positive action without reward or disapproval.
 

When children do not respond to a positive learning environment by demonstrating extreme behavior problems, they will be given a “time-away” from the group for one minute for each year of the child’s age plus one minute. Parents will be notified.

It is important to know that there will NEVER be harsh, cruel, or unusual punishment of any child. Discipline will be individualized and consistent for each child, as well as appropriate for the child’s level of development.