Frequently Asked Questions
What is the educational background and experience of the staff? How long have they been working in the field and at your school?
All of the staff meet and exceed the early childhood educational units requirements by the Department of Social Services. Two Administrators (and fully qualified preschool teachers). All of our staff have achieved, at minimum their undergraduate degree or are currently in the process of completing their degree.
We are a new school that opened in January of 2019. Our enrollment began in March of 2019. The Director (Cheri Payne) began her Early Childhood Education career in 1998.
Is the preschool licensed?
We are licensed as a Title 22 school with the state of California as a private, faith based preschool that follows a developmental approach to learning. We are licensed for 60 children per day, ages 18 months thru 6 years old. Lic. #304371198
Do the kids have academic goals? Are there conferences to discuss their progress? How is progress measured/recorded? Do students have their own individual goals or milestones for the class as a whole?
This is a great question, the short answer is yes, we will have goal setting conferences in the late Fall/early Winter (these upcoming dates are to be determined) and then in the Spring we will offer a parent teacher conference as a follow up to those Fall/Winter conferences. During the Spring conferences, we will discuss the progress the child has made towards the goals set during the Fall/Winter conferences as well as update the child's achievements and set further goals together as a team (the parents and teachers).
These goals and assessments are both academic as well as developmentally focused, while acknowledging age appropriate milestones. These assessments are digital form assessments that the parent and the teacher will both contribute information regarding their view of the child’s results and discuss any discrepancies.
It is our philosophy that by engaging with the individual child and by building a relationship with them on a daily basis is the most effective tool to truly measure the child’s capabilities. As capabilities can be altered by interpretation, stress, distraction etc. we do not only rely on paper assessments and scheduled parent conferences. We are viable to meet and discuss your child's progress at any time.
Is there any kind of kindergarten readiness program? What about STEM?
Depending on Kindergarten eligibility, children who are entering Kindergarten in the fall will be in our Pre-K class. In this age group, the children will continue to have a developmental philosophy of learning, with intentional academic aspects to assist them with being prepared and confident to enter Kindergarten. We refer to our primary grade educators in the community to assist us in recognizing the skills needed to help each child feel as confident as possible for the transition to Kindergarten from our Pre-K program. The children will be actively learning through a variety of hands on opportunities and STEM activities.
Is everyone CPR and First Aid certified?
Yes we all are, and we are all current (every two years we are required to train and renew). As the Director, I have an additional 8 hours of training that includes training on California immunization information as well as nutrition in a preschool setting.
Are the kids encouraged to interact during meal time?
Yes they are encouraged to interact socially during meal times, this is an awesome opportunity for the children and teachers to learn about each other, discussing their favorites, cultural diversities in food choices, and so much more. We view this as a “Family Table” and feel that this time is more than nutrition for the body.
How is discipline handled? How do you encourage positive behavior and what approach is used when there is a conflict/problem behavior? What's the policy on biting?
Each interaction with a child regarding behavior concerns is as individual as that child. We do our best to always ask about and consider the “why’s” when a situation occurs. We can then address the specific conflict directly with the child. We believe this method is more meaningful for the child and will help them to understand why a behavior is getting a certain type of response (pain, tears, hurt feelings, exclusion etc.) in the hopes that the behavior decreases. The following are the types of actions that may happen to deter from the undesired behavior. A conversation with the child, redirection (move on to a different activity/group of friends), removal from classroom for a break (this includes a walk or sitting in the office), call to parent or a Parent/Director face to face meeting.
The safety of the children and the staff are of utmost importance and is always a priority. Biting is a typical, yet undesirable behavior for preschool age children as they develop their language and motor skills. It is our responsibility as caregivers to do our best to identify and address the root cause for the biting instances. There may be a variety of causes including lack of language, misunderstanding, teething, etc. While we investigate the concern, a teacher will be assigned (for a reasonable amount of time) to the child who is biting to observe and to deflect future instances as they are able.
Part of being an early childhood educator includes the responsibility to assist children with their social and self help skills. This includes conflict resolution skills. This is done primarily by lowering our bodies to the child’s level, and giving them the tools (language) to express their needs and wants clearly to their peers and adults in their lives.
We practice the Conscious Discipline Method throughout our program. We believe that behavior is a form of communication that deserves our attention.
Do you provide references? Are there parents that would be willing to chat about their experiences with the school?
Thank you for asking, I would be happy to accommodate this request as we have families who are available to discuss our program with perspective families.
Do you encourage parent involvement? Are there special events such as Dads Day or Tea with Mom, Grandparents Day, etc?
Yes please! ;-). We are creating a foundation of tradition and activities to celebrate special times and moments such as what you have listed above. We are certainly open for suggestions as we are passionate about creating an environment that is fun, loving, nurturing, educational and full of experiences. We hold monthly restaurant nights, we participate in community events such as, Treats in the Streets, Farmers Market, Library Story Time and so much more! We also keep a position on our Board of Directors to be held by a current preschool parent/guardian.
Do the kids get school pictures taken?
Yes, we are so excited about this! Our picture days are scheduled for the Fall and the Spring.
What is the school's vaccination policy?
We follow the state rules and regulations regarding Immunizations. We require full immunization as per the CDC schedule unless you have a medical exemption (as the law dictates).
Are there any enrichment/extracurricular activities offered?
We enjoy this fabulous community in a variety of ways that enrich our in-class programming. We schedule the following: weekly community walks, trips to the city library, picnics in the park, fire department visits, visits from the Mayor, visits from Smokey the Bear, visit from a variety of community helpers such as firemen, medical professionals, police, have have “Meet the Author” days, cooking, science and gardening and “Meet the Artist” days. We strongly believe that the outside of the classroom enrichment opportunities are a vital part of the learning and development process.