Westwood Presbyterian Church

                PRESCHOOL

        Preschool Philosophy

        Children are active learners. That is, they learn more by doing than by watching or by listening. Activities at school are purposefully designed to meet the developmental needs of the preschool child. The physical, emotional, social, as well as the intellectual development of the child is considered important. The preschool is planned as a safe environment where children become independent, make friends, develop self-esteem and self-control, and make good choices.

        Preschool Goals

Westwood Presbyterian Church Preschool Goals

To help the child separate from the family, and to learn to live comfortably in a social group other than their own family.

To establish a partnership between school and family to foster the growth of the child, family, and community.

To increase independence in meeting and solving problems.

To promote self-esteem and confidence.

To promote cooperation.

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

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

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

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

To promote language development.

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

To stimulate and support curiosity.

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

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

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

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

Enrollment

        Call to put your child on the waiting list anytime after they are born: Sylvia Henry and Heidi Rudd: 310.474.2889.

You will be invited to a parent information meeting in January of the year when your child would start in September. At that time you will tour the school, see a presentation of the philosophy and activities of the school, and receive an application form.

Westwood Presbyterian Church Preschool was founded in 1960 as a community outreach mission of the church. It is now licensed to care for 80 children per day in four classrooms. Children must be at least 3 years of age by December 1st the year they begin attendance. They must bring a physician’s certificate of good health and a record showing they have been immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles and polio, varicella, the HIB virus vaccine, and the Mantoux TB test. They must be toilet trained.

Children are admitted on a non-discriminatory basis in order of application. Two groups of children have priority for enrollment; Children of active church members and siblings of children previously enrolled. To have priority as a church member, you must have been a member for a minimum of one year, attending, contributing, and otherwise participating in a way that is recognizable by the clergy. Determination of priority eligibility is made by the pastoral staff. Please note that if the church membership priority is applied, church involvement must continue during enrollment in order for a sibling to be considered later. The school reserves the right to balance classes as necessary in the judgment of the director and staff. A limited number of tuition scholarships are available to families of any background who wish to enroll a child but cannot afford to do so.

        Registration, School Hour Choices and Tuition

        The preschool follows the regular National Holiday schedule, roughly from mid-September to mid-June with longer breaks at Christmas and Easter. School hours are from 7:30am-5pm. The tuition fees for the 2011-2012 school-year are as follows. There will be a tuition increase of about 5% each year.

        5 mornings a week, 8:45 -11:45, $680.00/mo. (Monday - Friday)
        5 day-lunch bunch, 8:45 - 1:15, $835.00/mo. (Monday - Friday)
        5 extended days, 7:30 - 3:00, $980.00/mo. (Monday - Friday)
        5 extended days, 7:30 - 4:15, $1,010.00/mo. (Monday - Friday)
        5 day-full time, 7:30 - 5:00, $1,020.00/mo. (Monday - Friday)
        4 afternoons a week, 12:45 - 3:15, $504.00/mo. (Monday - Thursday)
        4 afternoons a week, 12:45 - 4:15, $652.00/mo. (Monday - Thursday)
        4 afternoons a week, 12:45 - 5:00, $740.00/mo. (Monday - Thursday)

There is a $100.00 registration and insurance fee payable each year when your child is accepted for enrollment.

Sylvia Director of Preschool

Sylvia Henry, now in her 20th year as director of the preschool, feels that the most important time in a child's life is these early years. She and the staff work very hard to create an atmosphere where every child can explore, try out new activities, do messy art, make friends, and solve problems. They help them build a strong foundation for the next years in elementary school. The staff constantly works to make the school the best place possible for parents and children.

See News from WPC and the church Calendar for more information on activities at WPC.