FAQ’S

What is your philosphy?

Our philosophy and curriculum are based on our understanding of the ways in which young children learn. We are aware that each child develops individually at their own pace. We are committed to respecting, encouraging, and supporting each child in the process of growing socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. You can read more about our philosophy here.

What experience do your teachers have?

At Growing Place Family Preschool, we believe one of our greatest strengths lies in the talents and skills of our staff. Our teachers are knowledgeable about early childhood education and development, developmentally appropriate practice and preschool curriculum, but most importantly, they are thoughtful, warm and nurturing.

The principal qualification for our teachers is the ability and desire to love and respect children unconditionally, connect and communicate with them authentically and develop a relationship with the child that emphasizes that he or she will be heard, seen and honored.

All of our teachers, at a minimum, meet the requirements for being a preschool teacher with Child Care Licensing and vary in their educational and years of experience. All teachers have been screened through Child Care Licensing with background and fingerprinting checks.

What are your school hours?

We are open Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Our program hours are 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and we offer early care from 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. We do offer part-time care for two and three-year olds with either three or four days per week and/or morning hours of 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Our part-time Pre K program is Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

What is the school calendar? When are the school breaks?

Each school year starts in mid-August and ends in early-mid July with an optional extended one week Summer Camp. There are various school closure days for hoildays and teacher in-service days. You can view our school calendar here.

What is the makeup of your classrooms?

We have three classrooms of children grouped by age and we maintain small ratios within each of our classrooms. Each classroom has three dedicated teachers throughout the day.

Our youngest classroom of two-year-olds has a maximum of 10 children on any day, our three-year-old classroom has a maximum of 12 children and our Pre K classroom has a maximum of 14 children.

We are committed to maintaining a very low teacher:child ratio to support our phiosophy of individualizing for every child so they can develop at their own pace.

Does my child need to be potty trained?

Nope! We call it "toilet learning" and your child does not need to be toilet learned to start school with us. Children can be fully in diapers, wearing pullups, fully learned or in between any of these stages.

All of our teachers know how to change diapers and will work with you when your child is ready to start learning. Every child is different and we do not rush a child before they are ready. Accidents are common and teachers are quick to help without any negativity.

What is a typical day like?

The daily schedule and routines form the basic structure for each day. The schedule offers a balance between active and quiet times as well as large and small group activities. There is time to play alone and time to play with others, indoor time and outdoor time, and time for each child to select their own activities. Routine is an important characteristic of the daily schedule. Children feel more secure knowing what is going to happen and when it will happen. This consistency does not preclude flexibility and spontaneity.

You can view a sample schedule here.

How much time do children spend outside? What happens in incliment weather?

Every class spends time on our Play Yard every day. In the morning, each class has a designated time of an hour to use the yard. After rest/nap time in the afternoon, the yard is available again for all children to use.

What is your screentime policy?

It is our intent to provide children with many opportunities to investigate the world around them with concrete, hands-on learning activities while in preschool. The use of digital media is used on a limited basis and could include age appropriate music, audio stories or a virtual field trip related to a class project.

What is your food policy? How do you handle allergies?

Children bring their snacks and lunch from home. While snack and meal times are built into the daily schedule, if a child is hungry, they are allowed to take something out of their lunch box and sit down to eat.

Foods are restricted for all children and adults when there is a currently enrolled child or staff member who has an allergy.

Do children go on field trips?

We feel we have designed our environment to be so rich here at school, we want the children to stay at school and take advantage of all that is offered here. Some of the children are only at school for a few hours in the morning. There have been times our oldest Pre K class has been exploring a project that has taken them out into the neighborhood, with parent support, to dive deeper into their ideas.

What is your approach to discipline?

Although the words “discipline” and “punishment” are often used to mean the same thing, they are actually very different. Discipline should mean to teach, to guide, and to direct children toward acceptable behavior. Our goal is to help children learn self-discipline and develop problem solving skills. For young children, gaining internal control is a process and often takes time. The teacher may have to act as an external control helping the child while he or she develops self-discipline. At all times, we respect and reinforce children’s sense of self-worth while guiding and directing appropriate behavior.

We use a problem solving technique to respond to conflicts between children. Using this approach, we help children learn that anger can be expressed through words and non-destructive behavior. It involves giving children the communication skills to acknowledge and validate upset feelings. It includes brainstorming ideas and creating collaborative solutions. It demonstrates that conflicts need not be avoided, are normal and manageable, and can lead to good feelings, strong friendships, and autonomy.

Will my child be safe at school?

Yes. The safety of every child is our number one priority. Children are always with a teacher while at school. There is no signage on the outside of the building sharing with the public that we are a preschool. Our school buidling doors are always closed and locked except during drop off and pick up times when staff are monitoring the entrances. We have security cameras for the outside of the building and mointors inside to view them. There are both a fire and police station within a few blocks of school for emergencies.

Will my child be ready for Kindergaten?

Readiness for Kindergarten can mean many things. Here, in addition to language, cognitive and physical development, we have a strong emphasis on children's social-emotional development which we feel is one of the most important pieces of being ready for Kindergarten.

We feel children are ready for Kindergarten when they can succesfully be part of a group setting: following directions, listening to a teacher, participating in a group activity and having the ability to solve problems with peers and teachers.

Academic readiness is built into the curriculum organically in the Pre K year through counting the first 100 days of school, measuring for cooking projects, signing in by tracing and then writing their name and working on projects thorughout the year incorporating spelling, writing and counting.

How much parental/caregiver involvement do you expect?

While there is no minimum requirement for family involvment, there are many opportuniites for families to be involved at school. Whether families simply attend an event, sign up to be a room parent, attend a Parent Association meeting, volunteer to help plan an event, volunteer time before, during or after an event, offer a service to the school community, donate an item or service to the annual fundraiser or donate financially, we value each and every family here. Part of volunteering or attending events, when possible, helps families build community with the other families here at school. We enourage any and all participation possible.

What kind of communication will I receive from school?

We value the relationship we have with families as much as we value the relationship your child will have with their teacher.

Teachers update families briefly at pick up each day with information about what their child experienced at school that day.

Families will receive weekly email communication from both the Office with schoolwide information as well as from your child's classroom teachers with more specific information about what happened that week at school and photos from the week.

We offer Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences twice a year in fall and spring for every family to have dedicated time with teachers to learn about and discuss your child's development.

Back to School Night is in the fall and a chance for grownups to experience what your child is doing and learning here at school.

Teachers are available throughout the year to meet with and talk about any concerns you have about your child.

What is your separation policy?

Supporting children and families through the separation process is one of the most important parts of our program. Beginning school is a significant occasion and can be a source of positive growth for everyone involved - children, parents and teachers. For some children, it can also be a source of stress. That’s why we believe in slowing the process down and paying attention to the cues of the child. We view separation as part of the curriculum rather than a single event. Separation is never viewed as a problem to be solved in a few days, but as a process throughout the child’s life. Creating the foundation for trust between teacher and child is the first thing we focus on. We believe that the connection children make with their teachers is so important, not only because they are the primary supporters of the child’s overall development at school, but because the teachers are the biggest supporters of the transition process. We start building that foundation before the first day of school.

We believe that any response a child has to separation is valid and is to be expected. When we acknowledge this, we help children develop a strong sense of self and to be able to self-regulate as they experience feelings of sadness, anger, frustration and even joy. These are skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.

However, we know the ability to adjust to new situations can vary greatly from child to child. We individualize our approach for each child.

When can I enroll my child?

We typically enroll children for a mid-August start each school year. Children must be two-years-old as of September 1st of the year they are starting. If your child turns two after September 1st, we would enroll your child the following August. We follow this timing as it allows children to remain with their cohort of peers through their Pre K year with us and then beyond to Kindergarten.

We sometimes enroll children mid-year when we find we have an open space available in a classroom. We look to our waitlist at that time. If you are interested in a mid-year start please let us know.

This all sounds great, how do I apply?

Great! The first step is reaching out to set up a time to take a tour. You can fill out our Admissions Inquiry Form to take the first step.