About Elmbrook Preschool
Our Philosophy
At Elmbrook Preschool, we recognize that no child develops according to a formula, by adding exactly so much of this and that. Every child has a unique temperament and a specific potential. However, we do work toward general life goals for all children using flexible guideline.
One of our most important goals is to have each child feel good about himself. In other words, we help the children develop a healthy self-concept. When a child is happy, able to communicate with others and confident in himself, he is much more open to learning experiences.
While we see working towards these general life goals as primary in our dealings with children, we recognize that young children have an innate drive to explore and to learn. We meet these needs by providing experiences with reading and math readiness, opportunities to learn about their world (beginning social studies) and their well-being in it (health and safety).
At Elmbrook Preschool, the atmosphere is warm and accepting ... opening the way for the child’s expression of the world through various art media, body movement and music.
Having stated our goals for children, we also know that parents are the first and most effective teachers of their children. It is important that we have a good working relationship with parents to help them better understand their child’s behavior and social needs. We can provide a variety of experiences that supplement and compliment life at home.
Programs
Nutrition
We believe that attitudes toward food are formed early in life, so we try to provide a variety of healthy snacks. We serve fresh fruits, vegetables, grains or milk products. Many snacks offer opportunities for food preparation or cooking by the children.
Music
This class is offered to the children once a week for approximately 20 minutes. It is our hope that while they are enjoying themselves, the children will develop an appreciation of music through singing, listening and musical instruments.
Creative Movement
The physical space in our school offers a large area for our large muscle activities. One day a week the equipment is moved out to make room for a program Creative Movement. This structured class helps the children develop coordination and awareness of their body parts and how the body moves.
Special Events
Field trips are taken twice a year. We usually take a nature walk in the fall and a spring outing to an animal farm. Additional trips may be taken. Special guests (police officers, firefighters and theatre groups) are invited to entertain and inform.