Ours is a PRE-SCHOOL. We have consistently sought to make it more than a nursery or child-care center, and at the same time resisting any inclination to become too much like a kindergarten. Preparation for kindergarten is an intergral part of all classes, especially the 4-5 year old groups. The keynote of our work with children is DISCOVERY. It is our desire to begin with each child where his/her interests lie and to create the kind of environment which encourages and stimulates DISCOVERY. From a child-development point of view, we know that there are three basic interests for the preschool child: His/Her: FAMILY, WORLD, SELF. When the child comes to us he is full of his family and speaks of it freely. By beginning with this interest, we desire to extend his feeling of "family" to the children he meets at prschool and then to God, who created the family so that love, understanding, and responsibility might be shared. The provision for DISCOVERY in this area is made through learning about family and through all the relationships which a child experiences within a guided program. The child is also full of her world when she comes to us. The child has seen police officers, fire fighters, and other workers in the community. By beginning with this interest, we hope to lead the child into a DISCOVERY of service with love as her motive. Her interest in the world also extends to such things as nature, growth, and seasons...the provisions, which God has made for all of life. When the child comes to preschool he is interested in defining himself/herself as a person- distinct from others. The child is learning what is mine and yours. He learning how I am like you or how you are different from me. He is learning that all good relationships are made possible by respect for the other individual who is a person also. Each new DISCOVERY in this area presents us with the possibility of interpreting growth and relationships in terms of what God intends the child to be. Our work with a child in each of these areas is based upon the conviction that we should not deprive the child of going to the raw materials and making the DISCOVERY for himself/herself. Paint, clay, large pieces of paper, large crayons, scrap lumber, collage materials, glue and paste are available to use freely. Musical instruments provide an opportunity to experiment with sound and rhythm. Magnets, magnifying glasses, locks and keys, shells, rocks, seeds and other treasures stimulate the child's inquisitiveness. Any guidance given is to enhance her efforts. By basing our work on the possibility of DISCOVERY, we believe the child will be able to view life as an increasing possibility for openness to God. (excerpted from brochure)