PROGRAMS, POLICIES and TIPS

Strawberry Preschool offers preschool and pre-kindergarten programs, based on the child's age and level of development. Each child is given many varied opportunities for working and learning through a play-based curriculum. Our curriculum is tailored to the interests of the children and evolves from teachers' observations of topics suggested by the children's spontaneous play. Weekly and monthly themes are the foundation for our presentation of learning tasks and creative activities for a range of developmental stages.

Strawberry school hours are 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Three-year-old children attend the program on Tuesday and Thursday. Four-year-old children attend preschool Monday, Wednesday, Friday or five days. Child Care and Enrichment Activities are offered from 8:00 to 9:00 am and from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Strawberry Preschool generally follows the local public school calendar, beginning school in early September and ending in the beginning of June. Optional summer programs are offered during June and July.

Preschool Program

The preschool classroom is a spacious playroom, divided into three learning areas, with a large outdoor yard and garden. The indoor space includes an Art Room for artistic and creative expression, a Library that includes children's access to our large collection of children's books, and tables for cognitive small-motor tasks and science exploration.  The Library also includes a dramatic play center with dress-up costumes, furniture and housekeeping equipment. Our third indoor area is the Block Room, which includes small unit blocks and large hollow blocks for play. The space can provide more large motor activities such as music, body movement, musical instruments, dancing and the use of other movement equipment.

Pre-Kindergarten Program

Our Pre-K program is a five-day program with 16 students and two teachers. The program has been designed for children old enough to attend Kindergarten, but whose families feel an additional year in preschool would be beneficial. The children are usually four-and-a-half to five years old in September. Enrollment in the program is determined by birthday order of currently enrolled students (the older the child, the higher the priority).

Pre-K is located in the church building in two adjoining classrooms. The children move between the classrooms for various activities. These classrooms contain many learning materials and are designed to enhance children's social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. We approach the learning experience through a literature-based curriculum initiated by each child's chosen book, and each book's theme is studied for two weeks. Activities such as art, music, language, mathematics, movement, drama, gardening and cooking are planned from each book's story line.

Outdoor play is enjoyed on our regular preschool playground. Children from the Pre-K may also join our early morning and afternoon Enrichment Programs held on the preschool side.

Tips to help ease your child's adjustment to the new and exciting experience of preschool: 

• Plan enough time for your child to dress and have a good breakfast.  Try to avoid a "last minute rush" by having lunches prepared, sweaters ready, car keys in place, etc.  It is best for your child to arrive at school feeling relaxed.
• Dress your child appropriately for school.  Growing and learning are a messy business, and dressy, restrictive clothes interfere with a child's freedom to explore new things.
• Bring your child to school on time.  It may be difficult for a child (who is just learning social skills) to come into the program after everyone else is busy at work.
• Our Early Morning Child Care from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. is often a quieter, more relaxed time for a reticent child to begin school.  Parents may stay for a short while and help their child get involved in activities before the "big day" begins.
• Arrive on time to pick up your child from school.  It may be upsetting for a child to be the "last one" at school when everyone else has gone home or when your expected time of arrival has passed.  (A child may feel abandoned and afraid, and may refuse to come to school for awhile after such an experience.)
• Please be considerate of everyone by keeping your child home when he or she is not feeling well.  A child with a cold, cough, or mild intestinal upset does not have fun at school... and it is unfair to risk infecting other children.

Lunch & Nutritious Snacks

Daily snacks are provided in the morning and in the afternoon. Snack may include crackers, cereal, vegetables, or fruit and a beverage, and an occasional birthday treat.

Children who stay for lunch, bring their own lunches to school in a lunch box or sack. Nutritious lunches give children energy and begin a lifetime habit of healthy eating. Pediatricians advise parents to avoid foods that may cause a child to choke, such as popcorn, nuts of all kinds, uncooked celery, carrots and hot dogs. Please no candy or drinks in cans or bottles.

Due to a few severe peanut allergies among our students, Strawberry Preschool is a "nut free" school and we do not allow any peanuts or peanut products in our school. Please avoid peanut butter (a safer alternative is sunflower butter or soy butter) and peanut oil products in lunches or treats brought to school for any occasion.

Toilet Training

Children who attend Strawberry Preschool must be toilet trained. We understand that occasional "accidents" happen and are to be expected, especially when children are adjusting to a new school setting. We have extra clothes for this contingency. Should a child be continually wetting or soiling him/herself, staff will ask the parents to withdrawal their child until toilet training is fully accomplished.