Pulling up to the Main Street red-shingled structure, you may assume this preschool like any other. The worst part is that a 12-month waiting list exists only to reserve a slot. Parents enter their child’s name before the ink dries on the birth certificate; it is not some typo – click for source here for recent info!
So what then? Why is there so much buzz? First of all, the personnel is not phoning it in. These professors really love the pint-sized tornadoes they teach; their degrees come out of their ears. Young children rush joyfully from the paint-splattered art room to the garden, where small hands search for worms and gather strawberries. Nobody stays at a small desk tracking letters until their elbows start to pain.
Still another major factor are flexible hours. The day when every preschool closed at two are long gone. This place gets some parents clock out at five instead of lunch. Extended care means none of them are hurrying across town, heart pounding every day. And parents communicate—with the staff as well as with one other. Although it sounds like trouble to get caught in the early drop-off traffic, listening to the chatter reveals little complaints. Rather, they are criticizing whose child brought home the most glitter and trading meal ideas. One really feels a community here.
Children in this preschool do not merely memorize numbers and alphabels. Real-life events abound in cookery, music events, international week with cuisine from all around the world—my son’s particular favorite: “French toast Friday.” Whole families turned up last December to sow trees in the rain. You ought to have seen the dirty footwear. It more resembled a large family reunion than a school.
There are not only rainbows and butterflies here. Some guidelines are rather rigid. Screening? Not occurring is it. solely organic snacks. Should your lunch feature a suspicious-looking granola bar, get ready for a courteous message home. Not every parent finds that to be appealing. Conversely, other people find solace in well defined limits.
Perhaps the true secret, though, is not the curriculum, the environmentally friendly playhouses, or even the absence of iPads. Parents get a gut sense as they enter the building. The director recalls every child’s name as well as the name of their dog and the superhero costume they donned Halloween. People just find themselves seen here.
When something works, word travels quickly. And the list expands from then. Families that check in monthly hope someone moves away, graduates early, or—better yet—wishes luck with twins. Was the wait worthwhile? Find any family that has cleared the year-long backlog. The consistent response is always definitely.