Preschool

 

 About Us

PHILOSOPHY

American Martyrs Preschool is a Catholic preschool based on faith, hope and love: faith in Jesus, hope for the future and love of all that God has created.

We believe that trusting relationships, mutual respect and communication are critical aspects of a young child’s learning environment.

We believe that play is the primary vehicle through which a child’s cognitive, physical, social/emotional and language development occurs.

We believe that parents are our partners in the education, spiritual guidance, and care of our children.

We at American Martyrs Preschool provide a safe, loving and stimulating environment that facilitates learning through hands-on experiences. Our developmentally appropriate program promotes success for every child and in so doing nurtures a positive self-concept—the foundation for a life-long love of learning.

Children at American Martyrs Preschool are exposed to many activities rooted in the academic disciplines. In addition, the social/emotional development of our children is a major focus of our program: the nurturing of imagination and creativity, the ability to engage each other in play and the practice of communication skills including the language of conflict resolution. We know that these skills, coupled with resilience, are paramount to success in elementary school and beyond.

The Value Of A Mixed-Age Program

Mixed-age play offers opportunities for learning and development not present in play among those close in age. It is less competitive, more creative, and more conducive to practicing new skills than is same-age play. In mixed-age play, younger children learn from the more sophisticated behavior of older children, and also typically receive more emotional support from older kids than from those near their own age. Mixed-age play also permits older children to learn by teaching and to practice the more altruistic behaviors of nurturance and leadership. Olders are often inspired by the imagination and creativity of their younger playmates.

American Journal of Play, volume 3, number 4. Peter Gray, Ph.D. is a research professor of psychology at Boston College primarily on children’s natural ways of learning and the life-long value of play.

Why is Play Important to Young Children?

Play contributes to all areas of children’s growth. It is the primary vehicle through which their cognitive, language, social/emotional and physical development occurs.

Think about it! In play, children:

Use their imaginations

Think flexibly

Solve problems both with materials and with people

Cooperate with others

Work through their feelings in creative ways

Pay attention

Use something to represent something else (the beginning of symbolic thought)

Develop a sense of competence

Play experiences lay a solid foundation on which our young children can build successes as lifelong learners.

 Applications

 Tuition Rates & Schedule

Current prices are listed on the re-registration form.

 Admission

ADMISSION POLICY

Admission is open to any child, provided that our preschool can meet the needs of the child.

Every child must be at least 3 years old on or before December 2nd of the year of entrance to the preschool and must be fully toilet trained.

American Martyrs Preschool welcomes children whose parents are not members of the American Martyrs Parish Community.

Priority will be given to the children of active members of American Martyrs Parish whose parents:

attend Sunday Mass weekly : Mass Times

participate in parish activities : Join Us Grow Serve

contribute regularly to our Parish : Giving

CONFERENCES

Before preschool begins in September, all parents are encouraged to sign up for an opportunity to meet with their child’s team of teachers “conference style”— 15 minutes when parents have the teachers all to themselves!  This is a good time for you to share your special knowledge of your child and to begin to know his/her teachers. Hopefully, these introductions, although brief, will set the stage for a smooth and comfortable transition into the preschool year.

The preschool may be closed for several days during the year to provide time for parent/teacher conferences and/or parent/teacher telephone conversations. This time is set aside to give teachers an opportunity to share information with parents about their child’s growth in the preschool setting.

In addition, a conference relating to your child’s growth and development may be arranged at any time by parent request or by request of the teacher.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Beginning in November, parents may sign up to help in the classroom by volunteering to be either an inside or an outside Story Reader. Parents may choose to read books from the classroom collection or bring books from home.

Note:  Each classroom volunteer must have a TB test on file in the office.

 Calendar

2023-24 Calendar