Pre-School Info
Welcome to New Life Community Pre-School
We understand your desire to find a loving, safe, stimulating environment for your child. Our pre-school program provides a well-supervised, multi-sensory kindergarten readiness curriculum in a loving Christian atmosphere. A typical day for your child will include free play, circle time, daily devotion, snack and learning centers. The children also enjoy outdoor play when weather permits as well as 30 minutes of "music and movement" instruction once a week.
We invite you to come and take a tour of our facilities and meet the staff. To schedule a tour please call the school office at 589-8998 or contact Mary Kearney at nlcps@nlcc-li.com.
Questions About Pre-School
Many parents have common concerns when searching for a four year old program. Here are some questions you may have:
Will my child be able to play and interact with other children?
Each day begins with Free Play to help your child adjust to the classroom and the other children. During this time your child has the freedom to choose from various activities including painting, kitchen area, supervised table activities, sand table, blocks, puzzles, dress up and much more.
What is circle time?
Circle time is how we transition into the more structured part of our day. The children recite the Pledge of Allegiance, review the monthly calendar, discuss the weather and introduce our weekly theme to the class. We sing songs, share exciting news and then proceed to our learning centers.
How do learning centers prepare my child for kindergarten?
Learning centers are a vital part of our day. We focus on pre-reading, pre-math and art skills designed to cover various concepts important in your child's preparation for kindergarten. Each day, small groups of children rotate to each center, learning and exploring through fun, hands-on activities. Some of the concepts covered are:
Pre-Reading: Alphabet recognition, language fluency, listening skills, handwriting, colors and categorizing.
Pre-Math: Numbers 1-10, shapes, measurements, patterns, cooking, matching, classifying and graphing.
Art: Fine motor skills such as cutting, gluing, coloring and painting. Children make a project each day to share with their family.
What is the student to teacher ratio?
We have a ratio of eight children to each teacher.
What are the teacher qualifications?
The Head Teacher is required to have either a Bachelor's Degree in Education or an Associate Degree in Early Childhood with a minimum of 3 years of age appropriate experience. All staff members are encouraged to further enhance their education by attending workshops and seminars each year. The majority of our staff members are CPR certified.
What choices do I have in scheduling?
The morning program is from 9:30 am until 12:00 pm either three days (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) or five days (Monday through Friday) per week.
The after noon program is from 12:30 pm until 3:00 pm either three days (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) or five days (Monday through Friday) per week.
Will snack be provided?
We provide juice and a nutritious snack for your child every day. We give thanks to God for our food, learn proper table manners and teach the children to clean up after themselves.
What special days or events take place during the year?
At New Life we like to break up the daily routine with many different special events and themes. We have several special visitors throughout the year. We celebrate birthdays, autumn harvest, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter together. The children learn songs focusing on the Bible, holiday and fun-filled themes for the Christmas and Graduation programs. Parents and family members are invited to attend the Christmas and Graduation programs and enjoy refreshments afterwards.
Will I be informed of my child's progress throughout the year?
Parent/teacher conferences are offered in November of the school year and also available upon request at any time throughout the year. A detailed progress report will be sent home in January and June.
What aspects of the Christian faith are included in the curriculum?
We believe that every child is a precious gift from God. We strive to share that belief with the children through an awareness of God's love reflected in Bible stories, daily devotions and music. We celebrate Christmas and Easter with the children in age appropriate lessons.