Preschool advice please!

[gambaru]

We have had an amazing experience at Sweet Pea cottage. It is located just south of the morgan junction by Cafe Ladro and the Little Gym. It is housed in the Universal Unitarian Church. You choose how many days your “little” attends and they have make-up day options available. The day is from 1-9. They provide a organic/vegtarian snacks and meals and even handle the diapers if your child is not potty trained. You just send your little with a change of clothes and you’re good to go. As an educator, I have been very impressed with the pre-literacy skills my son has picked up. I.E. physically tracing letters with his fingers to remind himself kinesthetically of what it is. Each day has a theme which also helps us to get out the door in the AM. (“Today is cape day! Let’s go find your cape and get in the car!”) The classes are multi-aged which was great for my son and then they pull the 4-5 yr olds for “sweet pea college” for kindergarten prep. My son has had a very well-rounded experience at sweet pea and we are so grateful for the strides he has made and the groundwork they have laid for his future school success. They utilize “Love and Logic” as their management technique. Pretty much any preschool is play based… can you imagine 14 3 yr olds attending a lecture??? My guy however, wasn’t a good fit for preschools that just lay out stations. He would run in, touch everything and either be over stimulated with the over-activity/lack of structure or bored after a few minutes. Sweet pea has choice within rotations and within a small group of kids. For example, if it is art time, they enter a rooom and have a choice of projects and materials. Therefore I felt he got the play/direction/structure/choice he needed to get something out of the activity/subject area. Can’t say enough great things.

With that said, we did switch him Westside this fall. It seems like a great program so far and I really respect the teacher. While we LOVED sweet pea, we wanted to look ahead and guarentee him a kindergarten spot at westside since that seems to be getting CRAZY competitive to get in at that level. Good luck!

Share This

[bellvy]

I see some posts from parents of 2 year olds. Don’t wait til the usual age “3” to start looking. The Co-ops have classes starting with infants–the best part is that parents are involved, get their own questions answered, meet their child’s friends and their parents. Not easy to get into–often have waiting lists. I think this is the address to email for more information: jkatalki@aol.com

Share This

[Author]

Posts