When it comes to making important life decisions, few can be as simultaneously delightful and intimidating as choosing a preschool for your child—and even fewer decisions will have as substantial an impact on his or her future.
There’s so much to consider: everything from cost and location to class size and teaching method can end up being a deal-breaker. More often than not, however, it’s finding the right combination of these factors that is most important for you and your child.
Whether you’re looking for a preschool that specializes in a teacher-directed approach, one that leans more towards faith-based learning, or a school that emphasizes a more individualized and independent method, Berks County has it all—and then some. In fact, some of the best pre-K programs in the country are right here in your own backyard. But before you make any final decisions for your child, perhaps a bit of parental education is in order.
Preschool for the Parent-On-The-Go
For some parents, the most important factor in choosing a preschool is the schedule on which the school operates. As we move further and further into the 21st century, it would appear that the classic Monday through Friday, 9-to-5 job has all but disappeared.
Adapting well to this new hectic lifestyle is Sunshine and Stars Childcare, which has three convenient locations in West Lawn, Robesonia and Leesport—and a slew of evening and weekend hours to boot.
“Education continues outside the classroom walls,” contends Lori Weeks, Director, who further states that the school’s “many field trips to numerous Berks County locations” provide a hands-on experience that other schools might not offer. “But parents absolutely love our flexible hours,” says Weeks. “We have hours for parents who work second shift, evening hours, Saturday hours; most preschools don’t offer that.”
But convenient hours are just the tip of a massive iceberg. According to their website, Sunshine and Stars “promotes child creativity and play, models positive morals and values, encourages self-help skills and provides school readiness.” They also partner with local youth organizations and community groups to enhance real-life learning and to ensure a smooth transition into the public school system.
To top it all off, Sunshine and Stars offers a full summer camp program for children as young as one year through Youthwise, a non-profit organization that has been specializing in providing summer youth activities since 2004. The camp runs Monday through Friday, and once again, they offer extended hours for working parents.
The Montessori Method
When Maria Montessori began developing her special brand of preschool education in Rome during the late 19th century, even she couldn’t have guessed just how influential her work would be. Focused on individualized and multi-sensory learning, the Montessori Method is now used in thousands of schools across the nation, including the Montessori Country Day School in Sinking Spring.
“Concepts are delivered using all five senses,” says Cindy Rusnak, Director. “Moving, exploring, touching—that’s how children learn. Our school is child-directed, not curriculum-directed. We’re process-driven, not product-driven,” she continues. “The focus is placed on the steps the child takes, not on the product that results at the end.” And in most cases, that seems to be different for every child.
As such, children attending Montessori are allowed to choose their own learning activities from hundreds of possibilities. “Children develop differently at different ages,” Rusnak says. “That’s why our classes are non-age specific: children learn from their peers; older children help solidify concepts for younger children.”
“Learning is about discovery,” explains Rusnak, who also contends, “learning leads to concentration, motivation and self-discipline.” It is her hope that, at the end of the day, the child “develops a love for learning.”
The Arts-Based Preschool
The Yocum Institute for Arts Education in Wyomissing offers a preschool program that focuses on “educating through an art-infused learning environment.” According to the school’s website, Yocum “challenge[s] the child to communicate, problem solve and develop [both] creative and critical thinking skills.”
Executive Director Susan Rohn says the main focus of the Yocum Institute is to stimulate creative problem solving. “Children develop different ways of learning and thinking through the arts,” she explains. “Even though some of our students are too young to read, they can still learn to be storytellers,” she continues. “They can still learn to think critically.”
And while the Yocum Institute’s preschool program has an age requirement of three years (the child must be toilet trained), the school also offers an “early childhood enrichment” program designed especially for toddlers.
The Play-Based Preschool
According to their website, The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development “celebrates the individual potential of each child” and “is dedicated to encouraging a lifelong love of learning.”
“Our philosophy is most important,” says Tricia McKay, owner of The Goddard School in Wyomissing. “Our children learn so much, but they have fun at the same time,” she continues. “The school is play-based, but teachers join in and focus that ‘play’ on learning…learning while laughing.”
Also setting The Goddard School apart is the education-level requirement of the school’s teachers, and the daily, on-site presence of an actual owner. “Every teacher in our school has a college degree in either education or early childhood education,” McKay says. “And on top of that, as the franchise owner, I am here every day. Parents have a teacher, a [site] director, and an owner present at all times.”
Faith-Based Learning
The Atonement Christian Preschool in Wyomissing (part of the Atonement Lutheran Church) offers a unique, spirituality-focused curriculum that director Cynthia Bickley says helps each child to “blossom.”
“Atonement is family and community-oriented,” Bickley says. “Teaching children about spirituality is teaching them how to be a kind human being. It’s about their emotional IQ—we really stress that.”
But that’s not to say that the Bible is the only book that preschoolers will study.
According to Atonement’s website, their program “continually explores the environment to help every child understand their world. Through various planned activities we make discoveries in the areas of science, math, social studies and language. Speech is focused on books, music, finger plays, storytelling and puppetry.”
“We really treasure the fact that each child is special,” Bickley says. “Children are loved here—they feel that. They bloom.”
Schedule a Visit
Before making any final decisions or signing on any dotted lines, the best thing to do is make appointments to visit a number of schools you think might fit the needs of both you and your child. It’s only after you’ve seen the school, met the staff, and watched how your child interacts in the environment that you should start to make any long-term choices.
You should also take into account the school’s reputation. Parents are generally happy to talk to other parents about the goings on at their child’s preschool, so if you happen to see a few dropping their children off, don’t hesitate to ask for opinions.
And, lastly, the sordid issue of cost, which always needs to be taken into consideration. Many preschools will charge hefty fees for breaking a contract once it’s signed, so make sure the cost fits into your budget.
The key is in finding which school offers that winning combination that’s going to work best for you and your family.
The Essential Preschool Checklist
Visit the school.
There’s nothing better than seeing with your own eyes the environment your child will be spending his or her days in. Bottom line, you won’t know if you’re making the right choice until you’ve paid a visit (or two).
Do your research.
The type of school you enroll your child in makes all the difference. What works for some might not work for others. But one opinion is not enough—search websites and listen for word-of-mouth, bearing in mind that people hold grudges, and one person’s dispute with a preschool shouldn’t prevent you from finding what fits your needs.
Pay attention to the school’s guidelines and regulations.
An unorganized preschool is a poorly run preschool. There should be set times for drop-off and pick-up, as well as immunization requirements for children and education requirements for teachers.
Watch your child interact with the staff.
There’s nothing in the world like the guilt that comes with making a poor decision regarding your child’s caretaker. The staff should be gentle and have genuine concern for your child’s well being.
Ask to see the school's license.
Most schools proudly display their valid licenses on the wall when you walk in. If not, ask to see it. If it’s valid, they’ll have no problem showing it to you.
Sunshine and Stars Childcare | West Lawn: 610.678.6590 | Robesonia: 610.693.6466 | Leesport: 610.916.6087 | Sunshineandstarschildcare.com Montessori Country Day School | 53 Vermont Rd.| Sinking Spring | 610.777.3080 | Montessoricountryday.com Yocum Institute of Arts Education | 1100 Belmont Ave. | Wyomissing | 610.376.1576 | Institute-of-arts.org The Goddard School | 25 Commerce Dr. | Wyomissing | 610.478.8757 | Goddardschool.com Atonement Christian Preschool | 5 Wyomissing Blvd. | Wyomissing | 610.375.3512 | Atonementwyo.org/preschool
