The Nursery School at First Presbyterian    

School Philosophy

In having discussions with parents, we soon came to realize that their ideas of preschool education run along very different lines from our own. When we use the word "school", many people think strictly of academic learning, and look for results of this nature. Ideas about pre-school programs gathered from advertisements, newspapers or magazine articles are usually very misleading.

Our work with children follows a "concept" pattern, broad ideas that build up by working (slowly) on small particular things. We work with things that are a part of their lives: food (growing things), families, animals, pets, community things, weather, etc, etc. Following are some of the important things we do with children:

MAKE THEM AWARE...
Of all manner of things, from astronauts to zoos, from their community to the weather, and especially themselves and their families.

HELP THEM TO BE OBSERVANT...
So they know the significance of what they see, the similarities, the differences, and the meaning.

LEARN TO REMEMBER AND TELL ABOUT IT...
Something they have to do through the rest of their school career.

LEARN TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS...
Without this, everything bogs down, but first we must teach them certain vocabulary (in gym activities, for instances), and with understanding comes compliance.

DEVELOP CONSTRUCTIVE WORK AND PLAY HABITS...
So the children can function with a minimum of adult supervision.

LEARN TO TAKE CARE OF TOYS...
Learning their proper use, putting things away when finished (another slow learn) not losing pieces, etc.

PHYSICAL (MOTOR) DEVELOPMENT & COORDINATION...
Very important, a basic stage of development that is sometimes ignored in our rush for reading and arithmetic, but motor skills cannot be left to chance.

LEARN SELF CONTROL...
Our discipline is used to work toward SELF-DISCIPLINE, the beginning of being "civilized".

DEVELOP EACH CHILD'S SELF-CONFIDENCE...
Without this, his school career will limp along.

BE CONSIDERATE OF ONE ANOTHER...
A part of growing up and being mature.

DEVELOP AN INCREASED ATTENTION SPAN...
The difference between a child who is ready for school and one who is not.

DEVELOP A SENSE OF HUMOR...
The saving grace, which, luckily, most of them already have.

EXPOSURE WITHOUT PRESSURE          
          WOULD SUM UP OUR APPROACH

We do not compete with kindergarten. We do work on letters and numbers, names, (recognizing the letters in their names, the name itself, FIRST AND LAST and writing their names),but you must work with them at home.   We work on their addresses, phone numbers (extremely important for them to know ), your names (there are lots of Smiths and Jones in the phone book), and counting. If you want your child to "want to read " at this age, forget the alphabet and introduce them to the magic of books and stories.

Parents ask what they might do to follow through on our teaching. The same concepts can be furthered significantly by parent's attitudes. We find parents just assume these things are happening, or being learned. We know you can't assume children know certain things... after all they have been in this world such a short time. We talk to your children all the time. No question goes unanswered, no fantasy unexplored, but these wonderful little people are yours... take the time to know them while they are young.