We are excited to provide information to you and your family to get you started in our Early Learning Center. Bethlehem has provided quality Christian education for over 60 years and preschool to our youngest students for close to half that time. Last year we remodeled four classrooms and this year we are expanding our offerings to children who are three, four and five in the years before they enter Kindergarten.
Your child is welcome to join us anytime after his or her third birthday and as soon as he or she is toilet trained. If that occurs during the school year, we offer our regular school year program and if that occurs during the summer, we offer Summer Care. Your family may select a full-year program or enroll for the school year alone.
School Year – August 19, 2009 through May 28, 2010.
Summer Care – June 2, 2010 through August 13, 2010.
We are closed two days after school ends and two days before school begins, on major holidays, and for two teacher enhancement days during the year. See the handbook for more details.
We have three options to meet your preschooler’s needs.
The next step in determining what is best for your child and your family’s preschool needs is to select our half-day or full-day program. We are open from 6:30 am until 6 pm daily.
Our half-day program is available in the morning and concludes at 12:00 noon after lunch. You may pick up your child before lunch (11:15 am) if you would prefer. While you can drop your child off at any time, the school day starts at 8:15 am along with our other students in the day school.
Full-day preschool includes the morning activities, quiet time in the afternoon from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, and additional time in our indoor and outdoor learning centers later in the afternoon.
We feel good nutrition is essential for learning and growing, so for those children who arrive before the school day begins (8:15 am), breakfast is available for $2.00 a day. Our morning snack is provided by parents, and Bethlehem Beginnings provides the afternoon snack including milk. We have a wonderful hot lunch program at Bethlehem and children may purchase lunch for $3.00 or you may provide a cold lunch with items that do not require refrigeration or to be heated in the microwave.
Classrooms will follow this general schedule with flexibility to accommodate different snack and outdoor times in addition to special project and learning activities.
6:30 am - Free Time with a breakfast option
8:15 am - Welcome children who arrive for school day
8:30 am - Group Meeting Planning the day, birthday, celebrations, songs, prayers
8:45 am - Learning Centers
10:15 am - Snack
10:30 am - Outdoor Learning Centers
11:00 am - Jesus Time
11:30 am - Lunch
12:15 pm - Outdoor Time
12:45 pm - Story Time
1:00 pm - Nap Time or Quiet Activities
3:00 pm - Snack Time
3:30 pm - Outdoor Learning Centers
4:00 pm - Free Time
6:00 pm - Close