Our Purpose

 

    St. Andrew’s Episcopal Preschool believes that a high quality, Christian early childhood program should provide a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the spiritual, physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children through age-appropriate activities.  By providing and arranging for developmentally appropriate experiences, we will strive to help children accomplish these goals:

 

                              Develop a sense of self in relationship to God

                              Grow in independence

                              Learn to give and share, as well as receive affection

                              Learn and practice large and small motor skills

                              Develop self-help skills

                              Begin to understand and control the physical world

                              Learn new words, and understand others

Develop a positive feeling about their relationship to the world.

 

                                                          Our Philosophy

 

In a caring and positive atmosphere, we strive to create

a warm and happy place for preschoolers to learn.  As we

 bridge the gap from home to school, we guide children to a

continued good self-image while building social skills in a school setting.

 

Our curriculum is developed through teacher observation and evaluation of each child.  Concepts and skills are introduced which are appropriate to each child’s stage of development, and which reinforce social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth.  Concrete, hands-on activities and experiences are planned according to a calendar of themes and units which are relevant to the children.  Work is planned which emphasizes the process rather than the product, fostering a sense of accomplishment and pride.

 

Based on the theory that children learn through play, classroom routines encourage active involvement, meaningful experimentation and reinforcement through repetition.  Schedules are designed which balance structure and free choice, as well as active and quiet times.

 

Recognizing that children grow in predictable stages, we treat each child as an individual, working from the level each child has attained and moving forward a step at a time.  We teach a love of learning by allowing children to experience their own stage of development and helping them to feel success without pressure.

 

Academic workbooks and worksheets which demand visual, motor, and cognitive ability beyond preschool development create emotional stress and a sense of failure for most children, and do not lead to significant strides in learning.  The

whole child goes to school, not just the brain!

 

For more information about St. Andrew’s Preschool.  

Please contact Mrs. Tara Vester at 252-937-2459.

 

 

Our Prayer

 

In Praise of Children

 

 

Lord, you have made these children as varied as the flowers of a garden.  You have blessed each one uniquely.  And each fragile, growing child is infinitely precious in your sight.  You have trusted us to nurture them.  And blessed us with the joy of seeing them grow.  Lord, we teach in reverence.  Amen.

 

Elspeth Campbell Murphy

 

 

St. Andrew’s

Preschool

Growing with God

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God