Summary

General Info

Parent #1
I thought the Director was short with me when I was putting my son on the wait list - - but she is the school's greatest asset! She simply comes off as abrasive at times. If you are looking for a school that pushes alphabet, writing, math, etc., this is NOT the school for you. Westwood Pres. does, however, ENCOURAGE the children to write. Some of the kids in my son's class can write the alphabet, and some can't. All are encouraged to write their name on art work, and the teacher will help if they get stuck.

Parent #2
This is a perfect preschool. I visited them all when looking, and after sending 2 kids here I firmly believe they do everything right at WPCP. The Director sets the program, and the teachers have enough autonomy to bring their own strengths to the classroom. The teachers are never idle, but they let the kids self-direct as much as they can. This school also offers a very flexible schedule, and easy parking for drop-off and pick-up.

School Philosophy & Day in the Life

School Philosophy and Mission

THE GOALS OF OUR PRESCHOOL Our Preschool is part of the mission of our church to the community in which it lives. The preschool comes under the authority of the Finance Committee of the church Session. It is not the job of the preschool to instruct the children in any particular religious doctrine, but rather to live with them and their families in such a way that they experience something of what it means to be a child of God We believe that every person is a unique creation and beloved by the creator God. Consequently, each person has a worth beyond accounting and has a valuable contribution to make to our life together. Therefore, we will try consistently to treat every member of every family with whom we come in contact with love and respect. Further, we will teach the children entrusted to us loving, caring ways to relate to each other.

We believe that God is just. Therefore, we will strive to be trustworthy ourselves and to teach the children to be fair in their relationships with others.

We believe that God allows us to freely choose how we will live. Therefore, we will give children safe choices and allow them insofar as it is possible, to experience the natural consequences of their decisions.
We believe that God endows every person with creative potential and intends that people be responsible stewards of the rest of creation. Therefore, we will seek to provide every child with opportunities to explore his/her own creativity, to learn for the purpose of understanding, and to develop the ability to think logically, organize coherently, plan constructively, and evaluate with humility, humor, and hope.

We believe that God forgives us. Therefore, we will strive to teach forgiveness by both precept and example to the end that teachers, students, and parents learn to forgive themselves and each other and live life more fully, not hampered by the fear of failure, but with confidence and courage. (Adapted from 'What Does It Mean to Be a Church-related Preschool?' by Barbara McQuoid, Director of St. Mark Presbyterian Nursery School in Newport Beach. Copyright is pending.)

SOME OF THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF WESTWOOD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PRESCHOOL 

1. To help the child separate from the family, and to learn to live comfortably in a social group other than their own family. 
2. To establish a partnership between school and family to foster the growth of the child, family, and community. 

3. To increase independence in meeting and solving problems. 

4. To promote self-esteem and confidence. 

5. To promote cooperation. 

6. To foster awareness of the world by participating in a variety of experiences.

7. To foster an appreciation and acceptance of the multicultural world we live in. 

8. To learn large motor skills such as climbing, running, jumping, balancing, etc.

9. To develop small muscle competence by using scissors, glue, play dough and clay, building with blocks, working with puzzles, beads, etc. 

10. To promote language development.

11. To further intellectual development by fostering cognitive learning, concept formation, and self-understanding. 

12. To stimulate and support curiosity. 

13. To develop fantasy play which facilitates imagination, ideas and creative thinking processes. 

14. To foster creativity and free self-expression in art, music and dramatic play. 

15. To help the children learn how to complete a task, follow directions and expand their attention span. 

16. To encourage the expression of all feelings- i.e., fear, anger & happiness, in acceptable ways; to develop positive qualities, such as the capacity for fun, humor and optimism.

Typical Day-In-The-Life At This School

DAILY SCHEDULE
7:30 a.m. Early Care (all children in Room 2)
8:30 a.m. Transition from Early Care to Regular Classrooms. No arrivals.
8:45 a.m. School opens for Regular Program Rooms 2, 3, 4
9:00 a.m. Free Play inside or outside
10:00 a.m. Group Time and Free Play inside
11:00 a.m. Free Play inside or outside
11:30 a.m. Group Time 11:45 a.m. Dismissal of half-day children (Rooms 2 & 3 from classroom, Room 4 from yard)

Room 1 -- Morning Program
9:00 a.m. Free Play inside and Group Time
10:00 a.m. Free Play outside 11:00 a.m. Free Play inside and Group Time
11:45 a.m. Dismissal of half-day children from yard

Room 1 -- Afternoon Program
12:45 p.m. Free Play inside and Group Time
1:30 p.m. Snack
1:50 p.m. Free Play outside 2:40 p.m. Free Play inside and Group Time
3:15 p.m. Dismissal from Room 1

Lunchers and Extended-Day Program 11:45 a.m. Lunchtime
12:25 p.m. Free Play outside for Lunchers and Resters
12:30 p.m. Naptime
1:00 p.m. Storytime for Lunchers, Resters inside for rest time
1:15 p.m. Dismissal for Lunchers outside
2:15 p.m. Nappers and Resters awakened, Free Play and Story inside
2:40 p.m. Free Play inside and outside for Extended-Day Children
3:00 p.m. Mid-Afternoon Dismissal from Room 3 and outside
4:00 p.m. Yard Cleanup, Group Time and Free Play inside
5:00 p.m. Dismissal from Room 4

Curriculum & Teaching Approach

Quality of Teaching

Home School Connection

Discipline, Health and Safety

Ages, Schedule & Tuition

Application & Admissions

Kindergarten Placement & Tips