Life Lessons from Preschool

Every day is a new adventure in preschool: from play time with friends, to creating a masterpiece painting at the easel, discovering new things, or trying a new food. Recently, Kingsley preschoolers completed studies about families and nutrition.

"We talked about nutrition, exercise, healthy bodies. Today, we learned about everybody's families. The question of the day was 'how many pets do you have?'" said teacher Ellen LaTulip.

Soon, they'll start a unit on autumn. In the spring, they'll head to the farm to learn about the animals and where their food comes from.

"We'll do a lot of like nature walks in the upcoming weeks to look for fall leaves and signs of fall," said teacher Aerin Graves.

While the academics and lessons are important, Ms. LaTulip says the focus on learning soft-skills is even more critical.

“Everybody always talks about learning letters, learning numbers, that kind of thing, but you can't really learn that kind of stuff, even when you go to kindergarten, if you don't have those social emotional skills,” she said.

"I don’t think parents even realize all that we do to get them ready, like teaching them to stand in line, sit on the carpet, etc. So I think that’s a huge part of it,” Ms. Abby Preston added.

Preschool is not just another daycare option. It's a rich learning environment and experience for the kids.

"A lot of times, people think all we do is play," said teacher Jessica Klein. "We do play, but we're also teaching them how to interact with their peers, and to solve problems and regulate their emotions. There's a lot of learning that people are unaware of."

Teaching Goes Both Ways

As students learn to navigate the world and relationships with others, these four and five-year-olds are often teaching their teachers many lessons about life as well. Here's what our teachers had to say:

"They don't judge people. They love anybody. If you wear that shirt three days in a row, nobody's going to say anything. We have some kids that are different, and they just accept it, that's just who they are." - Ms. Melissa Porter.

"They're honest. They're kind. They're inclusive. No one is getting left out for any reason whatsoever." - Ms. Aerin Graves

"I'm thinking along the lines of forgiveness. They could do something to you and then if you come back a minute later, they're like, 'I'm sorry, I love you.'" - Ms. Terri Lidak

"They're just authentically themselves, still. So it's fun just to see who they really are, and all their excitement." - Ms. Jessica Klein

"I love this age group. They're always so curious about their environment." - Ms. Rachel Leatherman

"They are independent and love learning. They just light up whenever they grasp a concept or something like that."

-Ms. Grace Szymchack

"They are always so funny! It seems like they always have something important to tell us." - Ms. Ellen LaTulip

"They're always up for anything. They're fun to be around. And their hugs and excitement make me come back year after year." - Ms. Abby Preston

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The Kingsley Preschool Program accepts applications in February of the preceding school year for preschool. Parents who put their name on the interest list will still need to submit a registration packet. A tuition based program of $32 per day will be open to students, age 30 months to school age, and a state funded GSRP program will be offered to qualifying families of students who are four years old by September 1st.

To request an enrollment packet or learn more about preschool options, click here.